Ours to Keep
by maura-calder
Summary: They had crash landed on a foreign planet in a completely different galaxy, with the help of the jedi they are trying to find a way home while continuing to track down the assassin's that had brought them there. ObiOC REWRITE OF Written Across the Stars
1. Prologue

Hello there! This is my re-written version of Written Across the Stars, and it is renamed. I feel that this version is much better, and it is much appreciated if you let me know what you think! ~ Maura

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize does not belong to me. :D**

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**Prologue:**

The pursuit had taken them out of atmosphere and into open space.

The culprits they were currently tracking were making an attempt to flee of planet, but they were hardly prepared to let them escape that easily. Every once in a while the enemy ship would open fire, and so they were forced to return the favor. Neither side's assaults caused any large amount of damage so they continued on this way for about forty five minutes. Without any warning at all the enemy vessel disappeared, into what appeared to be a gaping black hole. The moment the craft was out of sight Emmara rushed down to the cockpit. She knew Jade, the current pilot, and so she knew that it was very likely she would do something brash without a second thought.

"Jade they seem to have disappeared into that black hole and if we pursue them it could be very dangerous." Emmara informed her when she stepped through the cockpit's threshold. Marcus had taken a seat at the navigation helm and was keeping a close eye on their coordinates.

The ship came to a stand still for a blink of an eye until Jade's brown eyes narrowed in acceptance of the challenge. Her hands clenched onto the controls that much tighter as the ship heaved forward and resumed its charge toward the unknown. Emmara hurried to take the copilot seat and fastened her restraining belt just in case. Jade had a reckless spirit and whenever she was pilot Emmara always found herself in dangerous situations. She was beginning to regret not taking the pilot seat but having instead run to man the gun turrets to try and shoot down the assassin's they were after. Now she found herself strapped into the copilot seat with wide fearful eyes as she looked out of the viewing screen in apprehension.

"Mar, have you no faith in me? Buckling your safety restraints so quickly…" She managed to sound genuinely hurt, but Emmara knew better than to let herself fall victim to her close friends' antics. She was very skilled at playing the guilt card, and she had fallen for it one too many times.

"Jade, focus." She reprimanded. At the moment they were coming up to the black hole and had found that there was an asteroid field blocking their way. Jade dodged the large meteors with ease, a smirk riddling her features. Emmara on the other hand had the sense to cling to her safety restraints. "I would be far more comfortable if you would acknowledge the fact that this is a matter of life and death instead of as a simple simulation."

Jade scoffed.

"Emmara you need to loosen up a bit, trust me I have this under control." She countered before dodging another transport sized asteroid. Emmara rolled her eyes before turning them back to the asteroid field they faced. Before she even had time to reply Jade had made it through the obstacle and proceeded to take them through the black hole. It felt like someone had taken a hold of the skin on her scalp and pulled it back as far as was possible without ripping it from her bones the force of the speed was so strong.

They shot out of the black hole at an alarming speed, but everything around them had turned to complete darkness. All of the controls flickered before fading completely. The emergency lights did not even engage. They were floating through the unknown with no power and they had no idea what had caused the said power failure.

"Everything is down, nothing is working." Jade was not panicking, her voice was relatively calm as she went through all of the procedures she was trained to go through in this situation. She was trying every possible solution to get their power to return. Emmara on the opposite side of the spectrum felt her hands shaking as she clasped them together. She was a trained warrior. She scolded herself. She would be strong facing her death. So with a deep breath she released her fear of flying and tried to concentrate.

"The black hole must have messed with our power grid. I told you it would be dangerous." She tried to keep the scolding tone out of her voice but found it futile.

"Don't lecture me now, Emmara. I need to think." Jade snapped, her brain moving a mile a minute. Emmara looked up out of the viewing window to watch as the side of the ship collided with the assassin's. Metal screamed as it struck metal and everyone was thrown in different directions from the force of the impact. They were all on edge, waiting to see what would happen next. Emmara simply expected them to drift apart, but her hope was in vain. The metal must have melded together somehow and they were stuck free falling through space connected to the other ship.

"At least we know they won't be getting away." Jade joked awkwardly and Emmara rolled her eyes. She always picked the worst times to practice her wit.

Emmara's eyes returned to the viewing glass and froze in her place. There was a planet in their trajectory. How was the black hole so close to a planet? That couldn't be possible! She snapped out of it and poked Jade's shoulder to get her attention. They would all be sucked into the planet's atmosphere if they didn't think of something fast. She poked Jade again.

"WHAT?" She yelled, turning her blazing eyes to look at her friend. Emmara didn't say a word only pointed out of the viewing screen. Jade's eyes followed her finger and grew large, her throat going dry in seconds.

"We need to get power up quickly or we'll be pulled into atmosphere…" Emmara looked to the adjoined ship, "With baggage attached."

"You think that I don't know that! I'm the pilot here." Jade's tone was desperate as she flipped through the controls trying to bring the engines back to life. Emmara began to count the seconds in her head. They were mere moments from being sucked into this unknown planet's atmosphere and nothing Jade was doing seemed to be working. The space craft was still lifeless, and soon it would be a flaming hunk of metal skyrocketing towards the very solid surface.

"Did you try manually sending fuel into the engines and pressing…"

"Emmara I know how to manually start the ship. I've tried that!" Jade snipped, throwing a quick glance to her friend. The ship lurched forward and they felt the pull of the atmosphere begin to bring them in. Emmara was jerked forward hard enough that she smacked her forehead on the controls in front of her. She felt the warmth begin to trickle down the side of her face.

"Prepare for a crash landing." Jade said somberly, her hands leaving the controls to check that her restraints were secure. Over the ship's loud speaker she announced that everyone needed to prepare for a crash landing. Emmara was taking slow steady breaths, trying desperately to calm her nerves. This is why she hated flying.

There was a splittingly loud tearing sound as they two ships fell apart and became unattached as they began to soar towards the ground. The other vessel was still too close for comfort. If they crash landed and either ship crashed into the other, although any crash would be tragic, that would be catastrophic.

Still powerless the ship continued to descend toward the surface. Now they were close enough to see that the surface of the planet was completely composed of tall glinting buildings, there were no open spaces to land. Emmara's already wild heart began to beat that much faster. Where ever they landed they were likely to crash into a building that would probably be full of people, which meant there would be bystander casualties. Emmara groaned.

"Our best hope is one of these landing pads," Jade must have sensed her thoughts and pointed down in the city. "That one there just might be long enough."

"We don't have power how do you expect to control that?" Marcus cried from behind them and Jade rolled her eyes and snapped back.

"No need to commentate, just sit back and shut up."

At about 700 feet before they connected with the city, five to six small ships had surrounded both of the vessels. They could see the people inside of them trying to communicate with them, but the ships power was still out so they had no way of understanding. Only 625 feet left, and out of nowhere they felt a gravitational pull begin to rectify their fall. Jade tried to peer up to spot the ships but they were out of site. They had caught their ship with some sort of force field and were helping avoid a devastating crash landing.

"They are helping, but it still isn't enough to prevent a rough landing." Jade said loudly so everyone could hear. Emmara groaned clutching at her seat until her knuckles turned white.

The door to the cockpit opened and everyone turned to see Captain Nooram run in carrying a young girl. Emmara gasped.

"Halley!" She cried and then hurried to unbuckle her restraint belt. She spared no time rushing over to grab Halley and put her into a seat and lock her into the seat with a restraining belt. She said no words, all of that could be saved for later, for now she needed to make sure that Halley was as safe as possible. Once she was locked in Captain Nooram sat down beside her and did the same. As she was returning to her seat there was sudden turbulence and Emmara fell forward. Her head collided with the edge of the steel co-pilots chair and effectively knocked her unconscious. Halley screamed, and Jade turned to see what had happened. Upon seeing her close friend on the floor she went to unbuckle her seat belt.

"You don't have time, Jade!" Marcus shouted to her, "We are only 200 feet until impact and dropping quickly!" Jade was torn between helping Emmara and staying put as she looked out the viewing window to realize that the ground coming up at them fast, too fast. She bit her lip, and decided to stay put.

Then out of nowhere the power was restored, 100 feet above the surface the control panel lights began to flicker, and out of nowhere power was restored.

"We have power!" Jade hurried to try and gain control of the ship by pulling the controls up as far as they would go. _The reverse thrusters are barely helping_, Jade thought angrily as she pressed experimentally at a few more buttons. It was now too late to avoid crashing, but Jade worked quickly to make the landing a bit smoother. With the help of the other ships, and the restored power when the ship connected with the concrete landing pad there was a loud *crunch* as the metal met solid ground and it skidded a few feet. Emmara's body was thrown up and crashed into the controls at the co-captains chair. She heard the sound of a bone snapping and Jade cried out as she watched her closest friend being thrown around as if she were a rag doll.

The second the ship had stopped sliding Jade released the controls and jumped out of her seat to rush to Emmara's side. From her first glance Jade knew that her leg was broken due to the jagged bone jutting out of the skin on her calf, and Jade winced as she carefully pulled Emmara down onto the floor of the ship. Emmara's eyes opened suddenly and they were full of tears at the pain. She looked to Jade, a cry on her lips.

Emmara could only scream as she tried to clench the muscles hoping to stave off the pain. It was only sufficient for a few moments and Emmara's eyes close as she fell into unconsciousness once more.

Jade had come out of the crash landing unscathed, but her relief was short lived because moments later the alarms began to wail loudly. The panel indicated that a fire had started in the hull. They needed to evacuate in case the fire spreads to the engine and the ship would be blown to smithereens. Jade looked down to Emmara's unconscious form and she turned her head to get a look at the rest of them. Everyone else was conscious, but looked shaken.

"Is everyone alright?" There was a collective chorus of 'yes' and Jade nodded. "A fire has started in the hull we need to evacuate before it spreads." Jade looked to the captain, "Can you carry Emmara?" He nodded and they all began to undo their seat restraints. "Careful her leg is broken." She warned before he worked his arms under her knees and back before lifting her up.

Halley's eyes were full of tears as she struggled with her belt. Jade went to her and helped her remove the buckle before picking her up and leading the way to the exit. On the way she stopped quickly at the med bay to grab their emergency supplies and weapons bag. She threw the larger black weapons black to Marcus to carry before she picked Halley up once more and successfully got them out of the burning wreckage.

Once they exited the burning ship they all ran to safety. Far from the ship and out of danger they all sunk down to the ground, exhausted. Moments later there was a loud BANG when a small explosion erupted from the ship. They were all knocked off of their feet, and when Briam was sent flying forward Emmara was thrown from his arms and collided roughly with the ground. Briam got to his feet slowly very aware of the world spinning around him as he staggered over to where Emmara had landed. She was lying face down and Halley had found her way to her side and was bent over her unconscious body. When he approached she looked up to Briam with big brown eyes,

"Is she going to be ok?" Briam gave her a weak smile,

"I am sure she is going to be just fine." He reassured her, although anyone else could hear the uncertainty in his voice. Jade had come also to check on Emmara and overheard his words. She looked to her unconscious best friend and bit her lip. She was worried that Emmara would not be fine, and it made her insides twist in guilt. She had made the decision to go through that hole, and she had put everyone in danger. Now Emmara was hurt, very likely it was serious. It made her hands shake with nerves at the thought.

"Her leg needs to be set." Briam said, "I am nowhere near qualified to do that." He said inspecting the injury once more. He was by no means a doctor, but he had seen his fair share of broken bones and to him it looked like she had broken her leg a few inches below the knee. She might have possibly even fractured her knee.

"Maybe they can get her medical attention." Marcus nodded to the three ships above them.

The three ships that had assisted them had begun to douse at the burning wreckage with large jets of water. Sadness swept through Jade as she watched her ship burn. She had, had the ship since she was thirteen and had always strived to take good care of it. Now it was only scrap metal. It would probably be impossible to repair the damage that had been done. On top of that they had no clue where they were. As she peered at all of the tall metal buildings around her she was positive that they were on a foreign planet they could be anywhere for all she knew. _Emmara is going to kill me_. She thought somberly. _If she wakes up._ Her eyes filled with tears.

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Let me know what you think! :D

Maura


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize does not belong to me :D **

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**Chapter One:**

From the edge of the platform the group watched as the enemy ship crashed down on the landing platform approximately 200 hundred feet across from them. The unknown ships had also helped them so that their ship wasn't decimated on impact. Anger flooded Jade's core. They had killed so many of those she cared for, and now Emmara was lying injured in a puddle of her own blood. Anger drove her thoughts and her actions as she tore open their weapons bag and grabbed her sniper rifle and loaded it with three bullets. They would pay for what they had done. She never missed.

She took her place and knelt on the ground and raised the weapon and searched until she found the landing platform begin to descend from the ship. Her mind was racing, and her thoughts fell to her training. She knew that they deserved to stand trial for their actions. Death was too easy for them. So as she held her finger over the trigger she aimed for the first mans knee cap. She pulled the trigger, and the familiar loud crack of the bullet filled her ears. She smiled wickedly as he fell. Without missing a beat, she turned her sights to the next man and took the shot. He fell.

"A leg for a leg." She muttered.

When her sight fell on the man who had personally drugged her, and locked her on the balcony, her anger flared and instead of aiming for his knee cap she aimed for his heart. She didn't have to see his last breath leave his body for her to know that he was dead. She had killed him. The elated feeling was short lived as she realized what she had done.

Remorse swept through her.

She knew better than this and now she was no better than him.

"Drop your weapon." A deep voice commanded behind her. Surprised Jade turned her head to see the assembled troop of soldiers. Jade quickly obeyed and the rifle fell to the concrete with a clank. She slowly raised her hands in submission before rising to her feet and turning to face her apprehenders. Her face immediately hardened before they could see her inner anguish. She began to stride forward and the armed men raised their weapons, all eyes trained on her.

"Not another step." The same voice commanded, "You are under arrest."

Jade nodded,

"I understand. I hold no ill will toward you." She tried to assure them but still took another step. One of the soldiers fired when she violated the order to stay put. Instead of the laser fire striking her down Jade reacted quickly. She was surprised when a wave of her hand reflected the blast. She had never done that before.

"You are a Jedi." The commander of the troop stated lowering his weapon. Jade raised an eyebrow in confusion. What had they called her? "We apologize, Jedi. Your ship was not recognized."

Her bewildered expression doubled at every word he spoke. What was he talking about? What in the world are Jedi?

"Do you and your party require a transport to the Temple?" She had no clue what he was referring to, but her eyes fell on the unmoving form of Emmara and she reckoned that it couldn't hurt to go to this 'temple'. They obviously revered these _Jedi_, so they could not be that bad. Without thinking Jade nodded her head. She placed her hands on her hips and she noticed his eye fall to her hips. She ignored the expression of comprehension cross his features.

"If it isn't too much trouble," She wondered aloud, "My friend is badly injured and needs healing." She said before adding, "Those men are murderers, please take them into custody." She pointed over her shoulder to the other platform where the men were lying. The leader saluted before he commanded half of his men to arrest them. Jade was taken by surprise when one of the soldiers rushed behind her and encircled her wrists with constraints.

"What are you doing?" She sputtered, turning to look over her shoulder as the man snapped the last manacle to her wrist.

"Jedi do not kill their prisoners," He looked down to her waist, "And they always carry a lightsaber, which you are not."

"Please my friend needs medical attention." She cried as they began to lead her towards a transporter across the way. A few feet away from the transporter the man who held her forearm looked down at her and answered her question.

"Do not worry; she will be taken to the MedCenter at the Jedi Temple."

"I thought we were going to the temple." She stated, and he shook his head.

"You claimed to be a Jedi, which we cannot ignore. The council will be informed and they will decide your fate but until then you will come with us." He spoke as he helped her into the seat of the vehicle. She turned her eyes to watch as Emmara was carefully lifted onto a gurney and escorted by medics into a large emergency transport. She watched as Halley was taken by the hand and led in the direction they had taken Emmara. The rest of them were also placed under arrest and taken to the same carrier as she was.

It only took a matter of minutes to arrive at a large silver sky scraper surrounded by similar structures on all sides. All manner of transportation was buzzing above their heads, and Jade's eyes widened in awe at the majesty of it. She hadn't realized that she had stopped completely to stare up until the officer pressed her forward. She had no choice but to move. She was escorted into a dark concrete room with no windows and handcuffed to the table so she couldn't go anywhere. Without a word the men who had escorted her disappeared and she was left alone with so many questions left unanswered.

…

Obi-wan Kenobi had been called before the council due to an unexpected emergency. Anakin, his sixteen year old padawan, could hardly contain his excitement and Obi-wan was very tempted to roll his eyes at his eager padawan. Always on the lookout for an adventure and never wanting to just sit, relax and meditate. He couldn't deny that Anakin was trying for him, but he loved Anakin like a brother and he made a promise to his master that he would never break. Through even the most trying times with Anakin he would never regret his decision to take him as his padawan learner.

"What do you suppose the mission is going to be?" Anakin wondered aloud, trying his hardest to sound in control of his excitement.

"There may not be an assignment, Anakin." He told him, hoping that his subtle tone would reach Anakin's ears. He was sorely mistaken.

"Why else would they request a meeting with us?" Anakin countered, "We haven't had an assignment in months since that disaster on Azure." Anakin was oblivious to the blow he had just dealt to Obi-wan. Obi-wan's head fell slightly at the mention of their last mission, which had cost Siri Tachi her life. The wound inside of Obi-wan threatened to reopen, but he pushed aside the feelings in his chest and focused on his purpose while he repeated the Jedi Code in his mind. He hardly noticed as his padawan rattled on, but continued to nod as if he was paying attention.

"I hope it's something off world." Anakin continued with hope laced in his voice, "I need new scenery, and something to challenge me."

"Anakin there is no need to be presumptuous." Obi-wan told him in a low tone, "Let us listen to what the council has to say before we start speculating prematurely."

Anakin shut his mouth abruptly. He hadn't realized that he had upset his Master, and so he stopped talking and walked in silence alongside Obi-wan. In his head he was still thinking of all of the great missions they could embark on off world. He had overheard some of the other padawan's talking about a mission to Ando to help negotiate peace between the people there, which gave an opportunity for action. Yes, that sounded good to Anakin. He was bored of being stuck in the Temple, especially since Obi-wan had been in a strange mood. Ever since their last mission, Obi-wan was extremely irritable. Anakin had become very used to Obi-wan's constant lectures the past few months and it was getting old. He was hiding something from Anakin, and it was driving him mad.

Before they knew it they arrived at the council chambers. Obi-wan gave Anakin a stern look.

"Allow me to do all of the talking, padawan." He told him, and didn't give him time respond before he strode through the opened doorway. Anakin hardly gave his harsh words a second thought before he followed him into the council room. He stood beside Obi-wan with his hands clasped behind his back as he faced the council.

"Jedi Knight Obi-wan Kenobi, and young padawan Skywalker." Master Windu addressed them with a slight bow of his bald head, "We have a small assignment for you."

Obi-wan nodded, urging him to continue.

"A ship crashed in the city earlier this morning and the inhabitants claimed to be Jedi. We have no records of Order members with names they provided." He explained, "They are in custody as we speak and we need you to go talk to them on behalf of the Order."

"The reason for their deception, find it you must." Yoda interjected, "In their arrival, a greater mystery, I sense. Up for the task, are you and your padawan?"

Obi-wan listened carefully to the assignment they were given, which seemed relatively simple. He could feel the disappointment rolling off of Anakin in waves.

"Of course, Masters." He replied, "Is there any more information I should need before starting the investigation?"

"Here is a datapad with all of the information we have received from the local law enforcement." Master Windu informed him as he held out the square piece of technology towards Obi-wan. He graciously accepted it, holding it at his side until he could look it over outside the council walls.

"Injured, very badly, one of them was. Currently in the MedCenter, she is. When she is well, interview her you must."  
Obi-wan nodded,

"Is there anything else you require of us?" Master Windu shook his head,

"Report back to us once you have interviewed each of them." Obi-wan and Anakin bowed simultaneously to the council before turning and exiting the council chambers.

The moment the door had closed behind them Anakin let lose a dissatisfied groan. Obi-wan eyed his padawan.

"You seem disappointed?" He realized that he was stating the obvious, but he felt that Anakin should explain his lack of interest. Anakin nodded slowly, unsure of how to respond to his master's question.

"This is hardly important." He complained, "We should be doing something more significant! It just seems so ridiculous to have us babysitting strays." Obi-wan had to suppress his urge to reprimand Anakin harshly; he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. In that moment he wished Qui-gon was still here. He would always know what to say.

"Anakin control yourself." He chided, "It is not our place to question the Council." Anakin hung his head.

"Yes, Master." He replied automatically. "I apologize, Master." His apology was almost habitual he was so used to apologizing. Obi-wan was fully aware that Anakin's admission was hardly genuine. Obi-wan attributed that to his dark mood the past few months, which caused a flicker of guilt to hit his core. He had been treating Anakin less than kindly. That was wrong.

"I am sorry, Anakin." He uttered, placing his hand on the teenagers shoulder. "I have been hard on you."

"I understand, Master." Anakin said with a slight smile. "I wish you could just tell me what is bothering you." Obi-wan was surprised that Anakin had noticed. He had hoped that he kept his anguish hidden behind closed doors, but he seems to have been wrong.

"It is hardly of importance, Anakin." He brushed it off, not wanting to have this discussion; especially right now. "From now on I promise to keep my own emotions in check." Anakin was crestfallen that Obi-wan couldn't confide in him with what was bothering him so profoundly. Although he was far from satisfied with his answer, Anakin smiled at his master and nodded.

"What's first?" Anakin questioned, driving the conversation in a different direction. Obi-wan looked at the datapad in his hand and powered it on to browse over the information. It took only a few moments to read over what the datapad held. In short, two ships had crashed in the city and a woman from the first ship claimed to be a member of the Order after shooting 3 men down from the second ship. Not very much information had been collected, most likely due to the fact that they wanted the Order to take precedence of the case. He handed the datapad to his padawan.

"You can read that on the way to the police station." Anakin nodded and followed Obi-wan into the lift that would take them to the landing pad of the temple.

…

Jade was hardly afraid to speak her mind. It was one of her many shortcomings, at least that is what she was told constantly by her peers. So when the men had come in to ask her questions with callous words, she had no trouble telling them off. She had been treated like a criminal! Chained to a desk in a dark room, given no opportunity to see or speak to her comrades, it made her extremely irritable. They then proceeded to tell her that she was, in fact, in trouble with the law for shooting the assassin. She couldn't tell them enough that the man she had shot was a fugitive from the law, and she was completely justified in her actions. She was not about to let them in on the anguish that filled her entire being. She knew she had been wrong to kill him. It went against everything she was taught; to uphold the law.

Besides that, no one cared to explain what was going on! It was obvious that they were on a different planet, but she still did not know which planet. It was not very often that a Guardian was allowed to travel off planet. Of course it had happened once or twice, due to royal business that had brought the Queen off planet. Jade had never been lucky enough to escort the Queen on her off world ventures.

Jade's mind jumped suddenly to Emmara. She wondered if she was okay, or what condition she was in. It was rather annoying that she had been kept in the dark.

Before she could think more on the subject someone walked through the large steel door. She was hardly surprised that it was the same officer who she had been dealing with for the past few hours. He was rather short, with a sagging middle and thinning grey hair. Her least favorite aspect of him was his mustache, which she still had yet to see without a crumb of food stuck in it. He called himself Lieutenant Jorrus Lester. Jade couldn't stand him. Whenever he spoke he seemed to be talking down at Jade, not to her, but at her. It made Jade want to scream and she could barely contain her obvious feelings of resentment.

She listened for a few moments as he rambled on, trying to get her to admit that they had an ulterior motive behind their crash. Jade refused to acknowledge his accusations in any way, and was rather relieved when there was a knock on the door signaling for him to leave. She gave him a sarcastic wave, glad when he gave her a dirty scowl in return. _That fat, old, ratty little man._ She seethed silently to herself.

She folded her arms over her chest defensively as the door opened again. She didn't even look up, expecting to see ratty old Lester. She was pleasantly surprised when instead of the infuriating little man instead there were two men, both of which were considerably easier to look at. The younger of the two regarded her with suspicion, and his blue eyes were narrowed as he watched her closely. The older of the two had neither suspicion nor the revulsion that she had received from Lieutenant Lester, instead he only watched her with calm curiosity. It was much more pleasant than being stared down. Jade was extremely grateful for the change.

"I am Jedi Knight Obi-wan Kenobi, and this is my padawan Anakin Skywalker." He introduced himself, "What is your name?" He was very polite, and Jade was relieved. She instantly felt more relaxed in their presence whereas the other officers had her on edge the entire time.

"Jade Aviosa." She responded, noticing that there was something different about these two; they were dressed in beige and brown robes, and they didn't seem to have any badges or patches that specified them as officers of the law. She found it strange.

"Why aren't you in a uniform like Captain Gosular and Lieutenant Mustache?" She was hardly polite, sneering the word Lieutenant decisively. She knew he was listening in from somewhere.

"We are not republic soldier's, we are Jedi." The teenage boy told her, as if she was supposed to know. She didn't pretend to know what the difference was.

"I have no clue what either of those is." She informed them, "Like I have been telling Lieutenant Mustache over and over and over again; I am not from here." They were both intrigued by her words.

"Where are you from?" Obi-wan asked, hoping she caught onto his genuine curiosity. He could tell that she had been treated with far less than respect from the soldiers and that bothered him. So he made it his duty to show her that not everyone here was as impolite as Lieutenant Lester. Obi-wan could hardly stand him either, and he had only met him fifteen minutes ago. She had been stuck in this containment room for hours with him; the poor woman.

"I was born in the city of Galva in the country Eonia." She told them, "The planet is called Enisaari." She could tell by their look that they were unfamiliar with her home planet.

"In what region is Enisaari located?" She could only stare back at them. Region?

They both shared a look, before Obi-wan sat forward with his hands clasped in front of him on the desk. Jade wanted to sit back against the chair they had provided but the wrist restraints kept her stationary, not allowing any room for her to lean back. They must have noticed her discomfort because seconds later the cuffs opened with a hiss and her hands were released. She gave them a grateful smile as she rubbed her tender wrists.

"Enisaari is in the Havicala galaxy, that is the extent of my knowledge on its location." She told them honestly, "Where am I exactly? I know that we are on a different planet, but from the way you have been talking I am starting to assume that we are actually playing in a whole different ballgame."

Obi-wan nodded,

"I have never heard of Enisaari, or a Havicala galaxy." He informed her gently, "Can you tell us how you came to be here?" Jade nodded. At least they wanted to hear her side of the story, whereas Lieutenant Mustache insisted that she was some sort of lying terrorist. It was refreshing. They didn't immediately assume that she was a liar.

She began to recount the events that had led them through the black hole, starting with the Royal Gala and how she had been drugged and locked on the balcony when the explosion occurred.

_Jade had just finished doing a small perimeter check and had found a seat on the outer edges of the elegantly decorated ballroom. She did not want to be obligated to engage in small talk with the guests. Most of which were politicians, or family to the queen, and others were simply friends. Jade grabbed a glass of wine from a waiter and nursed it slowly. She was surprised when she was approached by a man she had never met before. _

_When the handsome blonde man had asked her to dance Jade was tempted to decline, yet something in his blue eyes made her acquiesce. So she took his hand and let him lead her through the crowd of fashionably dressed people toward the hard wood dance floor. She almost felt as if she belonged among the multitude wearing her one shoulder deep sapphire colored gown with a crystal beaded embellishment under her breast. It was almost as if she was one of them, only in the palace to attend an extravagant party and to relax and enjoy the evening. Yet, she was not one of them. She was a guardian to the Queen, and she was here only pretending to be one of them. It made her sad to think that her life would never resemble that of a normal twenty year old woman. Her life would be full of watching, protecting, and serving. It was a life that was not her own. _

"_Her Majesty Queen Callista of Eonia." A deep voice rang out, introducing the Queen when she entered. Everyone who was sitting stood up out of respect as the Queen arrived, and those on the dance floor had come to a stop. It wasn't until the Queen had taken her seat that the activities resumed._

_When the man, Stetson, pulled her into his arms she came out of her thoughts and smiled. _

_They began to follow the other dancing couples in a circle as they waltzed, and at first neither of them spoke. Jade was busy watching the people swirling around her, and wondering why she had allowed herself to be taken to the dance floor. She loved to dance, but something about tonight was not sitting well with Jade. An almost foreboding feeling had invaded her being and it was clouding any chance of enjoyment. She couldn't place the feeling, and so she didn't know why she was so out of it. So she simply tried to ignore it. _

"_You look concerned." Stetson stated as the song ended and he took her han d to guide her from the dance floor. Jade looked up at him. _

"_Do I?" She wondered, trying to seem innocent so he would cease from trying to pry farther. "I am sorry I am a little distracted…" She trailed off as her eyes wandered around her. _

"_About?" _

"_I wouldn't want to spoil the party, why don't we go out onto the balcony for some fresh air?" Before he could answer she stalked off towards the table to grab her purse before heading in the direction of the balcony doors. In doing so she missed his look of utter exasperation. He was trying desperately to get her to talk, but she was blocking him out. It was most frustrating. If she failed to be interested in him this whole plan would fail…_

_He followed after Jade, ducking through the enormous mass of people but stopping to grab two glasses of champagne from the waiter beside the door. With a smile he thanked him before stepping out into the cool night air._

_Jade was staring up at the stars and her eyes were distant as though she was deep in serious thought. The balcony was uninhibited by people, they were completely alone. He watched her carefully for a moment. _

"_You are quite morose, whatever is the matter?" Jade's head turned to look at him, and he offered her the glass of champagne. She took it with a smile and sipped it generously. _

"_It has just been a strange day." She told him, setting the glass down on the thick stone balcony railing. "A good friend of mine died today. She was murdered by a dimwitted miserable lout." She took another generous swig, willing the tears in her eyes to dry up. She hated crying, especially in front of an audience._

"_I am sorry." Even as he said it, the tone of his voice portrayed his actual feeling of indifference. Offended by his comment she looked over at him ready to tell him off, but something in her head felt strangely light. In seconds her vision was becoming cloudy but she had the frame of mind to reach out with her feelings to understand who this man was. She found herself invading places in his mind that she had no business intruding upon. She knew in an instant that this whole gentlemanly charade was fake and he was simply distracting her from something, something monumental. Jade's brow rose in question, and by the look on his face she could tell that he knew she had been poking around where she didn't belong. _

"_I really wish you hadn't done that." He advanced and Jade backed away, dropping her purse on the ground and she prepared herself for a fight by raising her fists clumsily. Whatever drug had been in the champagne was taking affect quickly and shrouding all of her senses. He struck first, and she barely dodged the shot by weaving to the side and instead landed her own weak blow to his ribcage. He barely noticed and recovered quickly enough to catch her wrist and twist it behind her back effectively trapping her against him. Inside of her head Jade was raging. What had she been thinking? Letting her guard down to a total stranger and giving him the opportunity to drug her!_

"_You won't get away with this!" Her voice was slurred as the drugs began to affect her tongue. He covered her mouth as he laughed. _

"_I was hoping you would go down quietly." He told her holding her tightly so she couldn't escape no matter how hard she fought. It made no difference because her vision was beginning to blur and fade. It took mere seconds for her to black out completely. _

_He carefully laid her on the hard ground. Before anyone could discover them he bound the handles to the doors so they couldn't be opened. He pulled Jade's body over to corner so nobody from upper balconies could see her. After doing so he sent the message to his cohorts that his part of the plan was taken care of before he carefully climbed over the balcony ledge and descended down to the grass below. He had to go prepare the ship for a quick getaway._

"The next thing I remember is waking up, and then a large explosion." She said. Recounting the experience was difficult for Jade. She felt responsible for so much that had happened, and now she was stuck where she couldn't even begin to rectify the damage.

_Jade had been struggling to open the doors and had been knocked back when the man had kicked them open so she fell to the ground. The suspect spared her a quick glance before he leapt over the railway and plummeted down to the ground. Emmara made it to the balcony seconds after and stopped to help Jade to her feet. Jade had recovered from being drugged quickly due to quick healing rate, but she still felt a little cloudy. She wasn't about to let the criminal get away just because her head felt heavy. She could still kick his butt if she wanted to. _

"_Come on, we have to follow him." Emmara said and Jade nodded. They both quickly shed their high heeled shoes and took them in their hands so that they could jump without breaking an ankle. Jade hurried to grab her purse before she jumped over the balcony edge with Emmara. They both landed on their feet and didn't spare a second before they sprinted in the direction the criminal had headed. _

_They were hot on his tail and followed him as he skidded around the corner of the palace toward the hangar bay about ten yards away. Once they were inside the building they stopped briefly to catch their breath and to watch as the man fiddled around with a datapad. Jade turned to Emmara._

"_He had help. They might have a flier ready to take off." Emmara nodded as they jogged, _

"_Do you have a communicator with you?" Jade nodded, _

_She pulled her communicator out of her purse before flipping it on._

"_Raleigh is gone, try calling Nya." A look of sadness passed over her face at the news but then she solemnly nodded. It took only seconds for Nya to answer. _

"_We are in pursuit of the criminals. We are outside the hangar and in need of assistance." _

"_Understood. Over and out." _

_The transmission ended and Jade looked back through the window to see where the man was. He was still going over a datapad, and he had an angry scowl on his face. _

"_Why isn't he in a hurry? He just set a bomb of in the palace. You would think that would call for some urgency." Jade wondered aloud, looking to Emmara. She shrugged. _

"_I tied up one of their men in a supply closet after he attacked me. Maybe he's waiting for him…" She conjectured. _

"_Either way we need to stop him… Where are those damn soldiers?" She cried, looking around desperately. _

"_No need to swear, ma'am." A deep voice said, stepping towards them with a handful of men behind him. They were soldiers, dressed in the royal uniform and armed with guns and swords. "Captain Brion Nooram," He stated, "How can we help?" Jade smiled very obviously embarrassed for being so impatient. _

"_I apologize, Captain but this is a dire situation." Jade said sincerely, "We need to get into the hangar and stop them before they get airborne. As far as we know there are only two men inside, but there may be more." _

"_We will enter through the mechanic station and overtake them." Emmara informed them of the plan, "Please be sure not to kill any of them. I want them alive to face trial for their crimes." _

_Captain Nooram nodded in understanding and looked through the window to see what he was dealing with. The man was still standing beside a flier, looking at the entrance expectantly. _

"_Let's go." _

_Emmara and Jade lead the small group through the mechanic station entrance in the back of the hangar, and as quietly as possible filed into the hangar bay. The soldiers had provided them with guns, and so they held them up ready to fire. They snuck from airship to airship, hidden behind the giant masses of metal. Once they were within firing distance they stopped and prepared themselves. Before they could step out and arrest the man someone burst through the entrance, swearing and raving loudly. _

"_Where the hell have you been Jarem?" The man shouted and advanced towards him. _

"_The guardian, Niada, knocked me out and tied me up in a broom closet." He replied, anger seeping from his tone. _

"_Well let's get out of here…" They both turned to run up the platform of a space craft. _

_Before they could get very far Emmara and Jade stepped out of hiding and called for them to halt. The other soldiers stepped out and aimed their weapons at the two men. Without warning both men turned and pulled guns out and opened fire. _

_Jade ducked behind the steel of an aircraft. After they had shot at her a few times she stepped out and took a few shots of her own. Both men realized that they were overpowered and ran up the platform before they were killed. After they were safely inside the platform lifted and sealed to the aircraft as it fired to life. Swearing, Jade looked over her shoulder to Emmara. _

"_The Wanderer is over there," she indicated to her ship only a few yards behind her, "Let's go get them, Emmara." _

_Emmara nodded._

_They had to hurry. The rebels had fled onto their ship and had already taken off, and so Jade hurried to their ship, The Wanderer. She immediately made a dash to the cockpit to get the ship up in the air. _

"You know the rest." She finished with a grimace. They continued to ask her questions, and she was completely honest and forth coming with her information.

Obi-wan was completely fascinated as he listened to the stranger, Jade Aviosa, describe the events that had led to the crash landing in the inner city of Coruscant. He was especially curious about the group of warrior handmaidens that Miss Aviosa was affiliated with and made a mental note to ask about that later. He had immediately sensed her ties to the Force, and was quite surprised that she was, to some extent, trained to act upon its call.

It would have been impossible for him not to notice the way that she had read him, and felt around for his aura and intentions. He was even more fascinated by the fact that she told him how she had somehow deflected a blaster shot with nothing but her hand. She wasn't even aware of a third of the strength she had within herself. His initial impression of her was that she was trying too hard to come off as callous and mean, which was hardly the case. She was rough around the edges, to be sure, but she was not cold hearted in the least.

From what he could tell when Miss Aviosa and her group came through the black hole they were transported across space into a completely new galaxy, possibly even across multiple galaxies. It was impossible to tell, although, that would explain the reason that the world she described was completely unknown to him and his padawan. It would explain her obvious ignorance to this world and its regulations. Her story seemed plausible. If he was being honest it was hardly the most outlandish scenario he had encountered over the years.

"Is Emmara okay? Is Halley still safe with her?" Jade asked suddenly, hoping that they could tell her at least a little of what had become of her closest friend and the young girl.

"All we know is that she is in the infirmary at the Temple," Obi-wan told her softly, "I am sure we can arrange for you to see her, but for now can you tell me about the men you were after?"

Jade nodded in cooperation.

"Members of a rebel group called GoSal," She answered, "They are the ones responsible for both of the attacks that lead us here."

Obi-wan nodded, remembering the two attacks she had previously mentioned.

"Speaking of, where did they end up?" Jade wondered aloud, wanting to know the fate of the assassin's responsible for this whole mess.

"I am not at liberty to divulge that information, but I assure they are not in any shape to escape." Obi-wan told her before eyeing her closely, "Which brings us to another point of topic."

"You openly wounded two of them and killed the third." Anakin interjected, throwing a sharp glance at Jade. She hung her head so that her eyes were cast downward.

"That was done in a moment of impulse." She admitted, "I knew what I was doing, and I know that it was wrong."

"Killing a man in cold blood is a crime," Anakin told her but stopped when Obi-wan put a firm hand on his shoulder. Jade had not lifted her head, but continued to stare down into her lap. She was trying to hide the tears that were dropping unceremoniously from her eyes.

"I believe the council will be willing to overlook the incident due to the circumstances," Obi-wan tried to comfort her, "He was a murderer after all."

But his words were of no comfort to Jade. She was riddled with anguish at her actions.

"There are still a lot of questions to be answered." Obi-wan spoke after a few brief moments of silence, "But I do believe it is scarcely necessary to have you detained as criminals."

Jade wiped away the tear residue from her eyes before she looked up in astonishment to Obi-wan and Anakin. They were going to let them go. Where would they go? Obi-wan sensed her feelings and looked to his padawan who was just as clueless as he was. He needed to speak to the council before he made any decisions.

"We are going to step outside for a moment to work out your living accommodations."

So Obi-wan exited the interrogation room with his padawan close on his heels. He was met by Captain Gosular and Lieutenant Lester with disapproving stares.

"You are going to let them go?" The captain demanded with an angry stare.

Obi-wan nodded calmly despite the captain's heated tone.

"They are hardly a threat, and they will be under close supervision by the Jedi." He informed them, "Your only duty now is to assign them an apartment in the refugee sector. The Order will handle the rest." His command was brief and to the point. It left no room for speculation and so he was confused when the Captain was not complying.

"Is there a problem captain?" He ordered, but the man shook his head before stalking off without another word. Obi-wan turned to his padawan.

"I will com the council to inform them of what we have learned," He glanced over his shoulder to the hall where the captain had fled. He gave his padawan a pointed look. "I am uncomfortable leaving them alone in the hands of Captain Gosular and the Lieutenant." Anakin nodded in agreement, although he wasn't as convinced of the off worlders' quite yet.

"I will stay and make sure they are not mistreated." Obi-wan nodded before turning and leaving to notify the council of what they had learned.

Once he was outside the station house and standing beside the speeder he pulled out his com link to get a hold of the council.

* * *

Let me know what you think?

Maura


	3. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize does not belong to me :D **

**Thank you MissCaityGrace for you review! It is much appreciated! :D**

**Maura**

* * *

**Chapter Two: **

Obi-wan Kenobi stood beside his padawan before the council in their chambers.

Obi-wan had requested that Jade and the others meet with the council the morning after he had interviewed them so that they could have a chance to discuss the events that had occurred one on one with the council. Obi-wan was sure that the council would help the group find their way home, but he was curious if they would do anything about the fact that they were all clearly force sensitive. He found it very interesting that they were from a distant galaxy and also are in tune with the Force; he wondered what their level of midichlorians were.

"Their future here, have a plan for it, do you?" Yoda posed the question to the Jedi Knight. Obi-wan nodded slowly. It wasn't a fool proof plan, but it was certainly a start.

"I was going to suggest to the council that we take them in, until they can find a way home." He told them what he had discussed with his padawan before they had arrived. Obi-wan was no fool he knew that Anakin was hardly pleased to do so, but Anakin was being amiable for his sake.

"Do you suppose that dangerous, this may be?" Yoda countered while he considered the suggestion. Obi-wan shook his head in disagreement.

"I believe that they are in no way a threat to the Order, or the Republic." He told them, "They are simply lost looking for a way back to their home."

Yoda and the rest of the council members had mixed emotions on the matter; each of them voicing a different opinion. Obi-wan listened to a few of them downright decline the offer with no actual reason.

"They are not members of the order," Master Ki-adi-mundi said out loud so that everyone could hear. The room fell silent to listen to what he had to say. "It has never been permitted before in the history of the Order."

Yoda nodded.

"True, that may be, but this situation, different it is." Yoda knew what Obi-wan had yet to inform them, and gave him a look that urged him to continue.

"They are all Force sensitive." He enlightened them, and the feeling in the room shifted. "I have not tested their blood for a midichlorian count, but I guarantee that they are far above average."

"What are you suggesting Master Kenobi?" Mace Windu questioned, his eyebrow raised.

"They are not very extensively trained, Master." Obi-wan said, "I believe that we should train them to hone their abilities so that they can better utilize the Force when they return to their home world."

A collective silence filled the room.

"They are far too old. How are we to teach them if they do not have the open mind of a child?" Another Master queried, but Obi-wan was prepared for this obvious reaction.

"They will not become members of the Order and so they do not need to be trained as abundantly as the Jedi; yet, they should be trained in the basic workings of the Force." Obi-wan claimed, hoping that they would see what he was trying to say clearly. "Not for our benefit, but for theirs. If nothing else, at least, let them make their own case before the council."

Obi-wan was quite satisfied with the debate he had set.

"A valid point you make, Obi-wan." Yoda said wistfully. "Deliberate on this matter, we must." He dismissed Obi-wan and his padawan with a nod of his head. Obi-wan obeyed and retreated from the council chambers with his head held high. He was sure that the Council would take the strangers in, even though it had never been allowed for a non member to be permitted into the Temple Obi-wan felt that this was the right thing to do. He met up with Jade and the others and told them what had transpired in the council chambers, and afterwards they all took a seat to wait.

Jade had been sitting beside Marcus and Briam for the better part of an hour waiting for the council to finish their debate over whether or not they would be welcome at the temple. Boredom had begun to itch at her, and she found that she couldn't sit still any longer. She stood and began to pace around the room, walking over to the tall windows and standing to watch the city with interested eyes. The tall steel buildings glinted in the sunlight and reached as far as her eye could see. There were so many transporter cars flying this way and that and it astonished her that so many people lived in such close quarters.

Eonia was mostly spacious green country sides with the usual forest here and there with bodies of water here and there. Eonia was certainly very beautiful, but this metal city was beautiful in a completely different way. She found that she preferred the alive bustling of the large city to the quiet solitude of the country side, and she had only been here for a few hours. She felt Briam come and stand by her side. She looked up at him and watched as he peered out at the city. For the first time she got a good look at him. He was quite tall, standing more than a foot above her. He had lovely dark brown hair. Each strand was set perfectly in place even after the trying events of the day. From the side the profile of his face was still quite charming, with a handsome nose and full lips.

She looked away suddenly her cheeks flaming with embarrassment. Had she been checking him out? She had to admit that he was extremely handsome, with high cheekbones and soft brown eyes. Oh, she was doing it again! She scolded herself internally.

"Have you ever seen anything so…" He paused searching for the right words, "Vivacious and full of life? I can practically feel its energy pulsing from all the way up here." Jade smiled and nodded in agreement before crossing her arms over her chest. Even his voice was beautiful.

"You have an enchanting way with words." Jade told him honestly, her eyes scanning the horizon once more. Beside her Briam smiled appreciatively at her praise.

"Are you worried for your friend?" Jade's smile turned to a grimace as she was reminded of Emmara's current condition. She had no idea where Emmara even was, and that made her heart squirm with fear. Ever since the crash the strong connection between the two friends had been dreadfully silent.

"I am terrified." She admitted, amazed at herself for allowing herself to sound so vulnerable. Especially to a man she had just met, but she had let the truth slip from her lips without a second thought. "Ever since the crash our connection has been eerily silent."

"I am sure she will be fine." He attempted to comfort her. "She has a very strong will." He added, and something about his words struck a chord in Jade. He hardly knew Emmara but he was so quick to admire her. Why did her chest feel so tight?

She was happy when Obi-wan came to retrieve them to face the council once more.

"It is time." He told them and she turned to hurry after him so that Briam wouldn't see the emotions she knew were written clearly on her face. That was one of her many flaws that Jade despised about herself. She could be read like an open book, and that made her feel vulnerable. So she practically ran into the council chambers to escape those feelings Briam had so easily provoked in her.

After a few moments they were granted access and the door swooshed open. Jade's jaw dropped to the floor when she entered the room. They were completely surrounded by ceiling to floor windows overlooking the vast city below. She also noticed the green look that came across Marcus' face at the sight and she tried not to smile.

They were taken to stand at the center of the circular room facing a circle of different people sitting in chairs towards them. At the head of the room sat a small green alien in beige robes with large ears. Jade continued to be intrigued by the vast amount of different species on this planet. She also took note that each and every person in this room was very familiar with the skill of Valor, even more intriguing.

"The circumstances which brought you to us, interesting they are." His words were backwards, and it took Jade a moment to understand. "Aware of why you have been called before us, you are?" Upon realizing Jade nodded.

"We were considered a threat, but we wish to let you know that it is not true. We mean no harm." She answered honestly because she was completely aware of their sensitivity to her actions. They were trained as she was to feel the world around her, as well as those in it.

She stood tall in front of the Jedi council waiting to hear what they wished of her.

"Jedi Knight Kenobi and Padawan Skywalker have informed us that you come from a different galaxy." A dark skinned man with no hair stated to them. His dark eyes found Jade's equally dark eyes, "Care to expand on this?" Jade nodded.

"We are from a planet called Enisaari, and a country named Eonia." She told them before adding, "From the galaxy Havicala."

They gave a collective nod, and most of them were rather enthralled.

"Remember how you came here, do you?" The little green alien asked. Jade looked to Marcus and Briam but they both encouraged her to answer the question.

"We were pursuing a group of rebel terrorists that had attacked our Queen, followed them through a black hole and ended up here." She continued to convey their full story carefully, making sure not to leave out the important parts. She told them about travelling through the black hole, crashing into the enemy ship, being pulled into the atmosphere; everything. Although she hesitated when it came to the point of the tale that she had murdered Stetson Verone, almost afraid of what they would think of her. Yoda recognized her trepidation, and gave her a reassuring look. Not a smile really, it was more conveyed through his large brown orbs.

"I am fully aware of my crime." Jade said calmly, "I am voluntarily at the mercy of your judgment, but please do not punish my friends for my transgression. They had no part in what happened."

Briam scoffed at her words.

"She was justified in what she did!" He cried, "Those men murdered a lot of people, and would probably try to do so again." Jade appreciated his support, but knew that even though his intentions were good he was wrong.

"You cannot justify the means if the end result is as extreme as the act committed against you in the beginning." Another man spoke wisely, "You cannot punish a murderer by committing the same travesty."

"If you hadn't have shot him, I would have!" He declared loudly, "He committed treason when he tried to murder the Queen. We were sent to find him-"

"Find him and bring him back to face the Queen's sentence." Jade argued, "I was never supposed to kill him."

"He wouldn't think twice about killing you." He shot back, and Jade's eyes involuntarily flooded with tears.

"That renders me as guilty as he was, Briam." His eyes fell as he understood the truth in her words. "I know better, but I took the law into my own hands. Emmara would never have killed them." She laughed sadly before adding, "Maybe beat him to a bloody pulp, but she would never murder them." Briam smiled sadly at her words. He never could understand how the Guardians were so calm in these kinds of situations.

"Truly repentant, you are." The green alien said and Jade nodded slowly. "A learning experience for you, this must be." He noticed her astounded expression, as well as the astonishment of the entire council at his words, and so he explained. "Let anger control your actions, you must not. Briefly trained in the ways of the Force, you have been." Jade did not follow.

"The Force?" she questioned, "I am not familiar with the meaning."

"By another name call it, you do." He admonished closing his eyes to touch her mind, "Identify it as Valor, you do." Jade furrowed her brow. She hadn't been surprised when he had reached out to feel her through the art of Valor. She had sensed it when she first arrived in front of the council. Now she was learning that here they were also very well trained in this ability, and called it the Force. Very interesting, indeed.

"She is not a member of the Academy, and so she must be disciplined accordingly." A new voice stated and the green alien, whom Jade was beginning to assume was the one in charge, put his hand up. Silence fell.

"From a different galaxy, she hails." He reminded them, "Bound by our law, she is not. Simply a way home, they seek."

Jade nodded,

"Yes." She answered, "I would also like to learn more." She admitted, "It is not often that Guardians are able to travel off planet, let alone to a different galaxy and I would love to learn more of the force and the Jedi." She stated, secretly hoping that they would allow her to stay and study alongside them until they could find a way back to Enisaari. "I believe it would greatly improve the Guardians ability to protect Eonia."

Most of the council agreed, but there were still a few who repudiated the idea.

"Your situation, unique it is." The little man spoke again, "Something to learn from the code of the Jedi, I'm sure you will find." He looked to the other members of the council, "Discuss your future here, we shall."

Obi-wan, whom had been standing in the corner of the council room with Anakin, stepped forward to lead them from the council room. Jade bowed respectfully to leave them so they could deliberate whether or not they would be allowed to stay as guests in the temple until they were able to find a way home. Jade felt a tidal wave of peace wash over her. Something about this temple gave her a sense of tranquility.

…

Obi-wan waited outside of the council chambers, standing beside his padawan as they looked out over the city. He was anxious to hear what the council had decided. He truly believed that the honorable thing for the council to do was to take the group of foreigners in, and help them. He was unsure as to the reason beside his ardent belief regarding the strangers, but he was positive that they should be trained in the temple. He imagined that this was how Qui-gon felt in regards to the young Anakin Skywalker he had brought to be evaluated before the council. He would never forget Qui-gon's conviction. He knew that there was a reason, yet he was in the dark as to what it was.

"Why are you so fixed on getting the Council to take them in?" Anakin questioned his master, looking straight into his eyes. Obi-wan thought it over,

"If it was I who stood in their place I would certainly hope someone would be kind enough to take me in." He replied, voicing only about a half of his reasoning. He just couldn't explain why he felt so strongly about the situation, and he was certain that the Force was telling him something. Perhaps they would play a vital role in this galaxy, if only for a little while.

Anakin listened to his Master's words, and although he felt empathetic to his words something in his mind was working against it. He was trying to fight away the negative thoughts that flittered through his mind, but they kept nagging at him. He knew he was being selfish and unkind, but he felt uneasy in their presence.

"I know that you have your qualms with this and I do appreciate your support Anakin." Obi-wan told him with a genuine smile, which had become a rare thing coming from him the past months. Anakin returned the smile.

"Of course, Master." He answered, "I trust you."

They were summoned back into the chambers, and Obi-wan watched as Jade stood tall with her chin squared.

"Permission to remain as a guest at the Temple, we permit you." Master Yoda told them. Jade couldn't help the wide smile that broke out on her face. Mace Windu, the dark skinned Jedi spoke next.

"There are limits to the extent of your stay." He forewarned her, "You are not permitted to enter into certain sections of the Temple, unless given direct permission from a Jedi Master."

Jade nodded in understanding. They were not members of the Jedi Order and so that was to be expected.

"Also, if you wish, we can allow you to attend a few of the learning sessions with the padawan learners." He informed them before turning his eyes to Master Yoda again.

"Training, you shall receive. Benefit greatly from the Jedi Code, you will." From the look on some of the council members faces Jade knew that some of them were against the idea. She was an outsider, brash and strong willed. It was dangerous and they could all sense it.

"What of my friend Emmara? What has happened to her?" Jade wondered aloud, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"In the Med Center, she is. Visit her after you are settled, you may." Jade bowed graciously to the council in gratitude. She had expected them to throw her in prison for her actions. Instead they had welcomed her into their home to learn more about their ways. The gesture was entirely unexpected, but at the same time extremely appreciated.

"Tomorrow we expect you to give us a full briefing on the circumstances that brought you here, and we would like to learn more of your planet and its culture." Master Windu added, "We must also begin to explore the possibilities of your situation."

Jade nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course." She turned to Briam and Marcus and they all shared a smile. Before they turned to leave the council asked to speak with Obi-wan and Anakin alone, and so Jade and the others drifted out while Obi-wan stayed behind.

He came to the center of the room so that he could better face the council.

"We appreciate the effort you and your padawan have put into this assignment, Jedi Knight Kenobi." Mace Windu informed him, and they both bowed accordingly.

"Over, your calling, is not." Yoda notified them with a smirk, "Just beginning, it is."

"You brought to light a valid point, Master Kenobi." Master Ki-adi-mundi added, "Being from a foreign galaxy, learning to utilize their gifts could most assuredly assist them to bring peace to their own galaxy." Obi-wan nodded, remembering his own words.

"Help them achieve this, you must." Yoda told him, "Teach them the art of meditation, you must. In great need of tranquility and peace, they will need, so far away from home. More proficient your training will be. Anakin," Yoda turned to the young man standing with his arms behind his back.

Anakin acknowledged the Jedi Master with a slight bow,

"Able to teach them a thing or two with a lightsaber, you may be." Yoda saw the beaming arrogant smirk on the young man's face and reprimanded, "Supervised of course, you must be, by your Master Kenobi." His face fell, and Yoda turned back to Obi-wan.

Obi-wan could barely hide his skepticism. He wanted them to train at the temple, but he would have never thought he would be the one training them. He couldn't possibly have more to offer them than Yoda would, surely.

"I am hardly qualified…" He started, "I already have Anakin to train…" He was surprised that they were even considering letting him take on a second ward, let alone a third or fourth. They had been fairly concerned of his ability to train Anakin as it was, now they were adding more to the plate.

"Sit in on your lessons with your padawan, they will." Yoda informed him, "Doubts, you have?"

"Only of my capacity to teach them properly." He responded,

"You will not be the only one aiding them in their efforts here; many of us are contributing our knowledge." Master Windu assured him to relieve some of the pressure Obi-wan was beginning to feel.

"Deny this assignment, do you?" Obi-wan shook his head,

"Of course not, Master." He said, "I apologize for my hesitation. We accept the assignment gratefully." Obi-wan felt the doubt spreading through his thoughts, but he pushed them away.

"Assigned them apartments, we already have. As to guide them, would you be so kind?" Yoda asked and Obi-wan nodded dutifully before bowing and retreating from before the council.

Once they were safely out of the chambers Anakin spoke.

"Now how do you feel about them training at the temple?" He baited his master with a smirk and was met with a dark glare.

"No need to patronize, my young padawan." He responded calmly, and his padawan laughed while Obi-wan shook his head.

Once Obi-wan had obtained the apartment numbers that the Council had assigned to the group he began the journey to their living quarters. They were on the same floor as himself and Anakin, which made it far easier to find.

As they walked through the wide hallways and under the tall archways he noticed immediately the stares of awestruck in each member of the group's faces. He could certainly understand what they were feeling. He had yet to see a building that was as majestically magnificent as the Temple. He tried to never allow himself to take for granted the beauty of the Temple. Growing up amongst it, it was easy to become accustomed to its splendor.

"How do you not get lost?" Jade asked as her wide brown eyes searched the wide similar hallways that branched out around them. Anakin chuckled at the question, and Obi-wan was even amused.

"I have been here for almost eight years and sometimes I still use the guidance of the force to find my way." Anakin told them in a sudden mood of cordiality. It was Jade's turn to share a laugh.

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Let me know what you think :D

Maura


	4. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine :D Everything you don't belongs to me :D **

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**Chapter Three:**

**6 Days Later…**

A dark fog had settled over her mind. No matter how much she fought her way through the darkness she found that her eyes would not open. It had felt like an eternity had passed before she felt the fog begin to ease and lift so that consciousness could return to her. Eyelids still heavy, Emmara fought to open her eyes. Around her she heard the slow and steady beats of a heart monitor. When she clenched the cotton sheets into her fists she distinctly heard the sound of the fabric as it rubbed together and bunched in her hands. The tightness of her hands as she clenched the sheets caused her to feel the cold hard steel of an IV needle shift in the vein of her hand. Very slowly Emmara's eyes began to drift open and a bright white light flooded her sight and she flinched and turned her head away from the brightness.

Once accustomed to the brightness she moved her neck so that she was able to see the room fully. She had been surprised to see a woman dressed in a beige robe standing at her bedside. She had long auburn hair and steely gray eyes that seemed to pierce straight through her skin. Emmara's eyes found the strange markings on the woman's face and wondered what they were for. She noticed that she was most likely a few years her senior, perhaps maybe close to entering her thirties.

The healer smiled tenderly once she saw that Emmara had come to, at last.

"I am glad to see you awake." She told her as her eyes scanned over her face. Emmara didn't have the energy to conjure a smile for the healer; she barely had the energy to open her mouth to speak.

"W-wha-." Her voice was raw from disuse and so her words came out as more of a croak. She tried to clear her throat. "W-what happened?" She had to force her vocal chords to cooperate.

"Your ship crashed and you were injured. Your body has been in a healing trance for the past 6 days trying to repair the damage." She informed her, fluttering around her bed as she checked Emmara's vital signs and fluid drips. Emmara raised a curious brow to the information.

"H-how?" She had placed a hand at her throat as she fought to speak. The woman looked at her perplexed, as if she expected Emmara to know how to place herself into a healing trance. She shook it off and answered,

"It is possible that you could have slipped into a coma and your body and mind automatically recognized the danger and put itself into a healing trance to rectify the damage." When she spoke she animated her words with her hands, and it was amusing to Emmara. "You are definitely force sensitive." She was rambling now as she looked over the charts on her clipboard. "Your midi-chlorian count is a little over 12,300 which is way above average." She peered at Emmara over the top of her clipboard and grinned. Emmara was flummoxed as she listened to her words. Midi-chloride what?

"Midi- what?" She asked quietly, curious to know. The healer woman looked down at her skeptically.

"You are not a trained Jedi?" Emmara's blank stare answered her question and the woman was astounded. With counts so high the council should have known of her force sensitivity and requested that she be trained. "I apologize, I was not aware that you are unfamiliar with the Jedi ways…"

"What are Jedi?" The healer's astonishment furthered at her naiveté. She placed her clipboard under her arm.

"That is a question that I will leave for a more knowledgeable mind," She answered, "For now let's make sure you get your rest."

Emmara nodded in agreement and grabbed her forearm as she helped her sit up.

"What is your name?" She asked as the woman shifted the bed so she was in a sitting position, and fluffed the pillows.

"Aria Toldreyn." She replied, "And yours?"

"Emmara Niada." Emmara noticed that her smile was very welcoming and friendly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Emmara." Emmara smiled back weakly, her eyes becoming heavy with exhaustion once more.

"As it is yours, Aria." Emmara felt an immediate connection with Aria, and she knew that a friendship had blossomed with only a few words. "I am so tired." She admitted, her head falling slightly to the side.

"Rest…" Emmara didn't comprehend the rest of her words as her eyes closed and she succumbed to the exhaustion she felt.

Only moments after Emmara had surrendered to unconsciousness Halley came running through the door to her room with Jade following close behind. Aria turned to the visitors and smiled sweetly to the regular guests that came to visit Emmara every few hours. Aria was sad to tell them that Emmara had been awake for a few brief minutes, and they had barely missed it. The youngling looked close to tears; she had been so worried about her dear friend. When Emmara had arrived at the Temple's med center Halley had come with her demanding that she stay in close proximity to the wounded woman. She had been by her side for hours on end until Jade had come to retrieve her for dinner and then for a good night's sleep. She had fought Jade at first, but the rumbling in her stomach had convinced her otherwise. So it has been for days as they waited for Emmara to recover.

For them the first few days at the temple had been tolerable.

For the most part, Jade was very anxious to find out what had been done with the assassin's she had shot down a few days ago. So far everyone she had spoken to on the matter was rather tight-lipped, saying nothing more than that it was being taken care of. It was quite frustrating. Jade wanted answers. Wanted to speak to the filthy scumbags in person to find out what they had been planning. What if the bombing was only the beginning? What if her family and friends were still in danger and she was stuck here, sitting around and being useless. It made Jade want to scream.

Master Yoda had made sure to keep the group busy, having them attending a few lectures held in the Jedi classrooms. They had even been allowed to train alongside the Jedi padawan's a few times, learning many new interesting things. They found themselves in the company of Obi-wan and Anakin fairly often. He was mainly tasked with teaching them to meditate although Master Yoda himself had sat with them and taught them the code of the Order, and how to properly meditate as well.

Meditation was definitely not Jade's strong suit. Sitting there, only concentrating on her thoughts made her edgy and tense. She knew that if Emmara had been there she would have excelled with Master Yoda's teachings; she had always been the calm collective one between the two. She tended to think before she acted. Jade was the complete opposite, always ready for an adventure.

With each passing day Jade discovered that the Temple hallways started to look more identical in appearance, which made it quite a feat for Jade to get from point A to point B without having to consult a member of the Order for directions. When Jade and Halley were trying to find their way to the Med Center they had only succeeded in getting themselves lost in the many passages of the temple. It would have been impossible for them to find their way if it weren't for the Jedi that Jade decided to stop and ask for directions. Luckily he, and the young girl that had been accompanying him, were quite happy to escort them to their destination.

When they arrived the Healer, Aria Todreyn, informed them that they had just barely missed Emmara's awakening. She had been in this self induced coma for six days now and with each day that went by Jade grew more and more nervous for her closest friend. The Healers assured her time and time again that Emmara was going to be just fine and that her body just needed time to repair itself, yet Jade still worried endlessly. Emmara wouldn't be in that bed with monitors strapped to her body if it hadn't been for Jade in the first place.

That was the process of Jade's thoughts for the entire hour that they waited with Emmara hoping that she would wake, but their effort was proving futile. Jade was becoming fed up with her wandering thoughts and wanted to get out and do something so that she wouldn't have time to think. Halley, on the other hand, was perfectly content to sit and read the book that she had borrowed from the archives on Coruscant. Jade pressed her face into her hands as her conviction to stay with Emmara began to diminish. She was ready to tell Halley that it was time to leave but then Emmara began to stir.

Halley immediately dropped her book and turned her full attention to Emmara.

When Emmara's eyes fluttered open Halley was so overjoyed that she could barely contain it.

"You're awake!" She cried, standing on the chair beside her bed to lean over and give her a swift hug. Emmara laughed happily, albeit her voice was still jagged and hoarse. Jade stood and carefully pulled Halley back.

"Give her some air, short stuff." She scolded, holding her back with a firm arm around her shoulders. Halley gave Jade glare that could melt steel. Jade ruffled her head affectionately and Halley smacked it away. Halley then jumped from the couch, grabbed her book and disappeared out of the doors.

"You shouldn't tease her about her height. She is very sensitive about it." Emmara admonished eyeing the door Halley had disappeared through sadly. Jade brushed it off.

"How are you feeling Mara?" Jade asked relieved to see her friend awake; she had been so worried. Emmara shrugged her shoulders.

"My head feels heavy." She answered honestly, rubbing her forehead and forcing her eyelids to open a little more. "What did I miss?"

"Well," Jade started thoughtfully, thinking over the events of the past few days. "When we followed that ship through the black hole we were transported into a completely new galaxy." Emmara's eyes widened. She had figured they were far from home, but not so far away that they had entered a completely new galaxy. "This planet is called Coruscant, and most of its surface is composed of a giant city."

"I remember the buildings…" Emmara mentioned off handedly, waiting for Jade to continue.

"We are currently in the Jedi Temple and the Jedi Council has decided to let us stay until we can find a way back home."

"What are Jedi?" Emmara was becoming increasingly more curious about these Jedi that Aria had mentioned earlier. She had never heard the term before and she was interested in learning what they were.

"Jedi are the peace keepers of the galaxy; people extensively trained in the ways of what they call the Force." Jade spoke slowly hoping that all of the information she was telling Emmara would sink in. "The Force is their name for Valor, Emmara."

Emmara's jaw dropped.

"They are like us?" Jade nodded slowly,

"Except they are ten times more educated in the ways of Valor and have a hundred times more rules."

"Rules?" Emmara questioned,

"From what I've learned so far they are supposed to suppress most emotions, are not allowed to have attachments of any kind, and they are kind of boring." Jade and Emmara laughed together. "How can they live without so many things? It must certainly take dedication." Emmara agreed.

"Almost sounds impossible. How can you train yourself to suppress all of your emotions?" Emmara shook her head, "Joy, happiness, sadness, love; our emotions control our responses to the situations life hand us, and that is what gives us character."

"I know it is so strange." There was a small pause and the room filled with partial silence, the only exception was the beeping of the heart monitor keeping track of Emmara's beating heart. "Although, all of the times I have spent with the Jedi so far have been very relaxing and educational."

"What did they say when you first spoke to them?" Jade thought back on what had been said a few days ago,

"We went over the events that led to our crash into the city," She told her, "They have agreed to help us search for a way home."

"It is interesting that they are so willing to let strangers live in their Temple." She mentioned as she carefully lifted herself to sit up. Her muscles were sore and tight from the days spent in the bed, but if felt nice to move. If only she could get out of this bed she would be perfect.

"That was one of my first thoughts as well and I even asked Jedi Master Jocasta Nu why that was. She said that the Jedi were dedicated to helping others, and knowing that we were strangers to this galaxy they couldn't throw us out on our own." She explained, quoting the words of the kind elderly librarian Jedi she had met a few days earlier.

"Can't fault them for their generosity." Emmara's stomach began to grumble loudly. She realized that she was ravenous, and hadn't eaten in days. "Is there any food to eat around here?" Emmara patted her gurgling belly and Jade laughed.

"I'll get the healer." Jade disappeared through the door and didn't come back for a long while.

During that time Halley had made her way back to Emmara's room. Emmara grinned when she saw the young girl perfectly happy and with no injuries and a smile on her face. Although after a few moments her smile faded into a worried frown.

"Emmara?" Halley's voice was small and intimidated. "Are you mad at me?" Tears began to fill Halley's eyes and Emmara smiled softly and shook her head.

"Come here." She reached her arms out and Halley rushed into her embrace. She ran her finger through her short strawberry blond hair as Halley cried into her shoulder. For a few minutes Halley let her tears soak through Emmara's hospital gown before pulling away.

"I-I-I was in the h-hangar when those men stormed in." She sniffled, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "I was scared that I would get in trouble for being out late so I hid in the ship." She was antsy and her lip quivered. "I was only studying what Ava had taught me I promise!" She was afraid that Emmara would yell at her so she buried her face in her shoulder. Emmara smiled, and stroked her hair.

"Halley I'm not angry with you." She pulled her back so she could look into her face. She wiped the tears from her delicate face and brushed her hair back and tucked it behind her ears. "I am very grateful that you weren't hurt. That is all." She told her honestly, smiling to comfort the small girl. "I am sorry that you are involved in this mess. You should be home, safe in the palace." Halley shook her head,

"Don't be sorry, Mara. This isn't your fault." It was now the six year olds turn to reassure Emmara. Emmara smiled gratefully, and pulled her into another tight hug.

"Now how have you been adjusting to this crazy scenario?" The girl shrugged, wiping the few stray tears she had left on her cheeks.

"They have allowed me to take classes with the other children here, and it has been fascinating!" She rambled getting excited and her reddened eyes lit up. "They taught me how to feel the force and know, without actually seeing, what is happening around me." Emmara laughed very glad that she had been adjusting without many difficulties.

"You will be a professional before you know it." Halley's eyes lit up and her smile was wide and genuine.

"Can we stay here Emmara?" She began to beg, pulling at Emmara's hands. "Please, please, please. The lessons here are so much more interesting than the ones back home."

"We will be here for a little while, at least." Emmara told her, "I cannot promise that we will be here permanently, Hal." She told her honestly, "That is beyond my control." Halley's eyes fell a little, but recovered quickly.

"I think once you get out of this Med Center you'll never want to leave Coruscant." She stated with a knowing smile before falling back into one of the cushioned chairs that lined the wall of the white healing room. Emmara laughed at her dramatic antics and shook her head.

Moments later Jade returned with a tray of food for Emmara. Once the tray was placed before her Emmara she began to inhale the food and was barely able to taste it before she swallowed. She was famished; she couldn't remember the last time she had been so hungry.

After her quick meal Jade took the tray and set it out of the way.

The new Healer on shift came through the door, and Emmara was surprised. Her skin was a very appealing green and where hair would be there were two flesh like limbs; she was stunning. She didn't say a word and only checked all of the monitors that were keeping track of Emmara's current state. When she looked to Emmara and spoke her words were lost on deaf ears. She spoke a language Emmara was not familiar with. Emmara could only stare.

"I am sorry I don't understand…" She replied and the Healer looked amused at her mistake.

"Sorry I sometimes forget that not everyone understands Twi'lek." She smiled, reverting back to a language they could understand. "You're body has, for the most part, fully recovered." Emmara was flabbergasted, how was that possible?

"How?" Not that she was complaining, but felt like something was amiss.

"When you arrived at the Med Center your body had already begun working on repairing itself, and after we set your broken leg and reconnected most of the muscle, and set your dislocated knee your recovery rate tripled." Emmara looked to Jade who was also wearing an expression of disbelief. "Unfortunately you will most likely have to go through physical therapy to rebuild the muscle in your left leg."

"I have never recovered so quickly." Emmara stated,

"You have never been so badly injured before." Jade countered, taking a seat beside her bed. "Even after the whole Jilda incident when you were shot, you weren't as badly banged up as you were after that crash."

"If you feel you are able we can try to see if you can stand." The Healer asked her replacing her charts at the end of her bed. Emmara felt unsure. Her mind still wasn't one hundred percent revitalized after being out for so long. At the same time she knew that she wouldn't mind getting out of the bed. It was worth a try.

So with some help from the Healer Emmara had managed to sit at the edge of her bed. With her hands grasping the healers forearms for support she carefully pulled all of her weight up so that she was standing. Her legs wobbled, and after a few moments standing stationary beside her bed she knew that her leg would not support her weight. So she made sure that when she fell she would fall back towards the bed. The Healer woman was prepared and made sure that no harm came from the fall. Emmara was extremely disappointed. Her leg was weak and frail. It would take a long time for her to be as mobile as she used to be. She sighed in frustration.

"It is only the first day. Be patient. Success comes little by little; it will not be a tidal wave." Her words were wise and Emmara took comfort in them. She could be patient. Couldn't she? "We will try again later, for now rest and gain your strength." The woman gave her a reassuring smile before leaving them.

Emmara turned to Jade.

"I have a feeling I am going to be stuck here for a while." Halley patted her hand comfortingly,

"You will still have us." She said with a wide smile and Jade ruffled her hair.

"Could you give us a second squirt?" She asked, her hand still on top of the girls head. Halley looked hesitant but complied, but not before giving Emmara one more hug. Once they were alone Jade had something that she needed to tell Emmara, and the longer she kept it inside the more it festered and bubbled within her.

Jade cleared her throat.

"I did something I shouldn't have, Emmara." Emmara listened intently already knowing that there was something bothering Jade. "I killed the man who drugged me and locked me on the balcony." Emmara's eyes widened at her words, not expecting such a confession. "I was so angry. It was like all reason was forced out of my mind and all I could do was focus on getting revenge" Her voice betrayed her grief, and Emmara reached over to place a hand on her friends shoulder and squeezed it affectionately. Jade leaned forward and encompassed Emmara's hand in her own.

Emmara could easily be angry. She could rage and lecture Jade until she was blue in the face, but she knew that Jade had already beaten herself up plenty over what had happened. Emmara saw the tear streaks on Jade's cheeks and knew that no good would come from being angry with her closest friend. That would only drive a wedge between them. That was the last thing they needed right now. They were stranded in a foreign galaxy and they needed each other more than ever.

"Thank you for being honest with me." She told her friend quietly, "It is in the past. We will move forward and better ourselves for tomorrow. That is all we can do." Jade was genuinely surprised by her friend's reaction. She had fully expected for Emmara to yell at her and lecture her on the oath they had taken, and how she had taken matters into her own hands and crossed the line. She was grateful that she hadn't done those things. She already felt terrible, and she needed to know what to do to forget what she had done.

Sensing where her thoughts were leading Emmara shook her head.

"To forget is not to forgive." Emmara told her, "You must forgive yourself, and learn from your mistakes and be better for them."

Jade scoffed, wiping her cheeks as discreetly as she could.

"How can I forgive myself when what I have done is so clearly wrong?"

"Because you know what you have done is wrong, and you have felt guilt and sorrow for your actions." Emmara patted the top of her hands. "You cannot punish yourself forever."

"How did you get to be so wise?" It was Emmara's turn to scoff.

"Hardly," She laughed, "Ninety percent of what I just said was a lecture Raleigh had given me." Jade was curious as to which lecture she was thinking of. Emmara helped her memory return. "Jaxten Calder, remember?" Jade pressed her face into the bed to suppress the laughter that was desperately trying to escape from her lips. Emmara had never been so embarrassed in her life than she had been that day. She was only fourteen then, but the memory was forever imprinted in her mind.

"I have never seen your face so red!" Jade laughed hysterically,

They laughed together, reflecting on so many memories that had brought them together and made them stronger.


	5. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine :D Everything you don't belongs to me :D **

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**Chapter Four:**

Obi-wan was sitting in the training rooms watching as Anakin began to work with Jade, Briam and Marcus on the shii-cho art form of the lightsaber. Young Halley sat beside him watching the interaction as well. He was surprised by how well the group was becoming accustomed to their situation. It had been almost a week since they had arrived and they still hadn't found any leads on how to get them home, but they were still working on it. For now they simple took everything in stride. The spent a lot of time learning how to tap into the force, and he was working with them on meditation.

"Why did you choose to become a Jedi?" Halley's small voice interrupted Obi-wan's musings and he turned to look at the young girl. Her big dark brown eyes were looking up at the Jedi in curiosity and Obi-wan couldn't help but smile. He thought about her question for a minute searching for an appropriate answer.

"Have you ever felt different?" He asked the young girl, and she nodded her head emphatically.

"I am a lot smaller than the other girls my age." She answered honestly, and Obi-wan smiled appreciatively.

"What about inside? Do you feel something hiding inside, deep down?" Halley's eyes scrunched as she concentrated on his question. She had always felt like she should feel more important, because of her place among the chosen few girls selected to become Guardians. Other than that, no, she hadn't felt that way.

She shook her head.

"I did." He told her, looking her square in the eye. "Somehow I knew that I was fated to become a part of something more than myself."

"Is it everything you wanted it to be?" She asked, "Becoming a Jedi? Have you ever wanted to be something else?"

Obi-wan paused.

He had never considered another option. He always knew that he would become a Jedi, and so he had never questioned it.

"No, not really." He told her sincerely, "This is what I was meant to do."

Halley nodded.

"Sometimes I wish that I could have been a singer instead of a Guardian." She confided in Obi-wan, telling him one of her most sacred secrets. She had never told anyone that. Not even Mara. "I don't fit in at the palace. Most of the other girls aren't very nice to me. They make fun of me because of my size."

Obi-wan leaned closer to Halley.

"Can I let you in on a little secret?" She nodded. "They are only mean because they are intimidated by you." He told her, "Now I am a Jedi and I am not supposed to subscribe to thoughts of envy, but I believe that they see greatness in you that they want for themselves."

Halley smile was so wide it almost reached her ears.

"I am pretty great." She told him, and he laughed outright. He was always entertained by a child's forthright nature. She felt her face heat up when she realized her words,

"It is about time for mid day meal, let's go tell the others." Halley got up and raced towards the others to tell them the news. Obi-wan watched as she relayed his words and they disbanded. He was grateful for the distraction the group provided for himself and his padawan. It was good for Anakin to be socializing with others other than Obi-wan. He never had fit in with the other padawan's at the temple due to his late entrance, and they were not as welcoming as they should have been. So Anakin separated himself from others and spent most of his free time with Obi-wan, or building and fixing odds and ends around the temple. It was good to see Anakin getting along with the others, although Obi-wan detected a sense of Anakin's dislike of Marcus.

As Jade approached, Obi-wan turned his head toward her.

"We are going to go visit Mara." She told him, "You said you wanted to come and meet her." Obi-wan nodded.

They had told Obi-wan of their friend Emmara's awakening last night, and so Obi-wan needed to interview her on what she remembered.

"Yes, let me grab Anakin." Anakin had not been far off and had heard their conversation. He walked over and looked to Jade with a smirk.

"Lead the way." He teased, knowing very well that Jade had a hard time navigating the temple. She gave him a hefty glare, albeit a playful one that hardly insinuated actual irritation. She had grown rather fond of the teenage boy, and his love of mechanics. They had bonded over the heaping pile of junk that was left of Jade's ship as they salvaged what they could. Jade pulled back as much of her thick curly dark hair back into a ponytail as she could before she turned to Anakin with a stare.

"Watch it, Skywalker." She threatened playfully as Halley took a hold of her hand. "Now lead the way." She laughed as Anakin nodded with a smug expression on his face. Obi-wan found their banter endearing, although he was worried that Anakin was starting to form some sort of an attachment to the young woman. An attachment he assumed was platonic, due to Anakin's obvious infatuation of Padme Amidala. He had also noticed the way that Jade watched Briam. It was rather confusing at times, but Obi-wan always prided himself in his keen observation skills.

Obi-wan fell back to walk behind the group.

He observed as they all interacted with each other as if they had been friends for a long time when in fact they had only met a week ago. So the collection of people began their journey to the MedCenter.

When they arrived Jade stopped to talk to one of the Jedi Healers at the desk to receive permission to visit with Miss Niada. They were granted access, and so they all walked past the reception desk and back into the white corridors of the MedCenter. As they passed they acknowledged a few of the Jedi Healers with a bow, before continuing on.

Jade was the first to enter the room labeled A-428, but Halley was hot on her heels and slid past her and shot into the room. Obi-wan could hear the soft laughter of a feminine voice before he entered the room. He hadn't realized how many companions they had until they were all stuffed into the small hospital room. He felt guilty for intruding so soon after she had awoken, but when his eyes finally landed on the woman in the center of the bed he knew that she hardly minded. Her face, although pale, was etched in a large welcoming grin. Halley had taken her spot on the bed beside the young woman.

"Mara this is Jedi Knight Obi-wan Kenobi, and his Padawan Anakin Skywalker." Jade introduced them, and Obi-wan gave a small bow of his head in respect. "Obi-wan, Anakin this is Emmara Elodie Niada."

Emmara was hardly amused when Jade had introduced her using her second name. She gave her friend a stern look.

"Do we want to start telling secrets, Jay?" She said immediately with a sickly sweet smile daring her friend to continue. Jade took a breath and shook her head before she put her hands up.

"Come on, guys." She motioned for Briam, Marcus, and Halley to follow her. "They have Jedi business to attend to with Emmara." They all slipped quietly from the room, waving to Emmara as they went. "We'll be back in a few."

"I cannot express how grateful I am to the Jedi for taking us in, and saving my life." Those were the first words she uttered once the door had sealed shut. Obi-wan nodded although he could hardly take the credit for that.

"The Jedi live to serve, milady." He told her with a smile, "We are glad to see you are well."

She nodded with a relieved smile.

"So am I." She admitted, "When the ship was going down I was sure I would never see another day." She recalled the incident and that drudged up the feelings of apprehension and fear so palpable that Obi-wan felt her feelings clearly.

"Please, take a seat." She told them motioning to the few chairs that were set against the wall opposite from her. She was sitting forward in the medical bed, letting her uninjured leg swing over the side. Obi-wan looked over to see Anakin eyeing Emmara suspiciously. He had accepted the others after a day or so, and so Obi-wan overlooked the matter.

"We have been chosen to oversee you, and your friend's unique situation." Obi-wan informed her, "Has Jade told you of the arrangement the Jedi have set?"

Emmara nodded her head slowly.

"We have been given permission to live at the temple. That arrangement?" She wondered aloud and Obi-wan nodded.

"Yes, that's the one." He started, "You have also been given the opportunity to train alongside the Jedi; to learn more about the Force."

Emmara nodded again.

"The Force, what we call Valor." She said, more to herself so she could keep up. "I know that you are far more trained than we are in the art."

"Yes, well, when you are ready you will be joining Anakin and me to train in the ways of the force." He told her, and he watched as Emmara smiled uncertainly. He could tell by the look on her face that she had doubts, but he could hardly wonder why.

"You do not wish to train with us?" He conjectured, and Emmara hesitated.

"I would love to learn more, but I feel as if we are intruding upon something sacred to the Jedi, to you." She admitted, "That feels wrong." If a stranger requested to train at the Palace they would be denied without a second glance. So she found it strange that they were so willing to take them in. She was grateful, of course, but she still felt strange coming into their world and stepping into their revered home.

Obi-wan was genuinely surprised by the young woman's response. He had not been expecting her to reject the offer. This was a one of a kind opportunity, and he firmly believed that she could benefit from the training of the Code. Her obvious consideration for the sanctity of the Order gave him immediate respect for the young woman. She thought of the Code before she considered the benefits for herself. It was very… Jedi like of her.

"The Council is always very mindful of their actions. They would never make a decision so significant without being truly positive." He reassured her, watching her face closely to notice her reactions. He found that her face was rather pleasing, with large emerald eyes and soft elegant features. Her eyes were the most captivating, he discovered as he was locked into her gaze once more. Unobserved by Obi-wan, Anakin was watching his master closely. He was surprised by the obvious admiration in his master's eyes as he watched Emmara, even though they had only been acquainted for less than twenty minutes. Anakin rolled his eyes, turning his gaze away.

She thought over his offer for a moment before a small smile spread across her face.

"I might as well give it a try. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity." She agreed happily. Obi-wan nodded.

"We also came to speak to you about the crash and the events leading up to it." Her happy countenance disappeared and she sunk back. "Is it alright if we ask you a few questions? It's only for protocol really."

"Of course." Her voice betrayed her obvious uncertainty.

"If you are uncomfortable Miss Niada we can do this another time." She shook her head at Obi-wan's words.

"No, please. It is fine. I just apologize if some of my answers are hazy. My brain is still trying to put everything back into order." She said the light returning to her voice for a moment, "And, please call me Emmara."

They both nodded.

"Where do you want me to start?" She asked,

"What do you remember?" Anakin countered, wanting to get this interview moving. Emmara noticed the hastiness in the young man's voice and tried to think quickly.

"It all started that morning with an attack on the Queen…"

_Spring had come to the lovely city of Eastbourne. The trees had turned to an enchanting shade of green and all of the wild flowers had begun to grow in the fields of the countryside. The palace of Eastebourne, where Her Majesty Queen Callista lived throughout the spring months, was slowly beginning to awaken. Warm sun rays had filtered through the windows of the large palace as the sun began to rise over the mountains. Most of the inhabitants of the palace were barely waking, while the servant quarters were bustling with activity to prepare for the morning meal. For the better part of the past week the Queen's palace has been catering to the most prestigious senators and government officials in the country. They had all come together for the biannual session of congress, which always ended with a grand ball that many important people attended. _

_With so many guests coming and going, security at the palace had increased tenfold. One would find soldiers at every door, and pacing every hallway diligently. The Queen had many enemies from out of the country, due to her diligent campaign to end the wars that had erupted all around the world. Eonia would remain a neutral country, and she would allow no bloodshed to commence on Eonian soil. To that end the northern border were avidly protected. _

_Queen Callista herself had several bodyguards. All raised in the countryside palace, and trained there accordingly as well. All of her handmaidens were very talented and trained in the ways of the Gods, which is a skill they call Valor. Only a few people were blessed with the ability to control these gifts, and so if their parents allow, they are chosen to protect their queen. _

_Emmara Niada was one of the select few blessed with these strengths. She had been sent to the Eastbourne Palace when she was almost nine years of age, which is slightly older than most of the others. Now, almost fourteen years later, she is one of the most trusted of the Queen's bodyguard-slash-handmaidens. At the moment Emmara was outside of the Queen's chambers standing guard as Queen Callista prepared herself for the morning meal. Jade stood beside her standing guard as well. _

_An uneasy feeling suddenly began to fester in her stomach and she opened her mind, reaching out to feel everything around her. She felt Jade's slightly edgy presence as Jade bounced on her heels, and she felt Her Majesty's behind the door as well as the elder handmaiden that was with her. Those were not the presence that was bothering her. It was a dark presence, someone up to no good. It wasn't in the chambers with the Queen, not yet, but it was too close for comfort. Emmara's brow furrowed in concern and she turned to Jade._

"_Do you feel that?" Jade focused her thoughts, closing her eyes briefly as she searched. Her eyes popped open. _

"_Someone is coming, and they aren't here for friendly conversation." Jade turned and knocked sternly on the Queen's door once, paused, and then three times more. That was their warning to the Queen that they were going to enter her chambers. _

_Emmara had her dagger in hand as she followed Jade into the Queen's chambers. Victoria, another handmaiden a decade older than Emmara, was standing with the Queen with her hand on her sword. She must have heard the knock and had rushed to inform the queen who now stood waiting in the receiving area of her large apartment. She stood with her auburn hair hanging loose and her nightgown still adorned. Emmara apologized and reiterated the situation to her, explaining that there was someone approaching who was not friendly. _

"_You should wait in your bedchambers with the door locked, do not come out unless one of us calls." The Queen looked hesitant, but nodded before rushing back through the hallway and locking herself in her room. They then turned to Victoria, _

"_Go with her, just in case they manage to get past us." Jade commanded before drawing her weapon. Emmara turned to the door, standing ready. She had replaced her dagger with her bow, armed with an arrow, and aimed at the door. The mysterious darkness was very close now, almost upon them. Jade had her gun drawn, also pointed at the door. _

_The handle began to rattle and Emmara readied herself. She listened as it clicked softly before it swung open. The man standing in the doorway was dressed in a very fine tailored charcoal suit and a blood red tie with a green band with a yellow symbol on his left arm. Before either of them could react he threw a small round object between them, and moments later it went off emitting a wave a pure energy that knocked them both off of their feet. _

_Jade had been closer to the concussion grenade and had been thrown farther back and smacked her head against the wall, and was now on the floor with blood trickling from her head. She was still alive, only knocked out cold. As quickly as she possibly could Emmara stumbled to her feet and chased the assassin down the hall towards the Queen's bedchamber. _

_She was not far behind him. _

_Her bow had fallen from her hand during the explosion and so she raised her dagger preparing to throw it just as he shot Victoria square in the chest. Victoria slumped to the floor, her life leaving her abruptly. Emmara paused in her steps, her heart twisting at the sight of one of her close friends deceased before her. She regained her footing and let her dagger fly, and she cursed when the blade grazed his arm and embedded itself in the door instead of the middle of his back where she had been aiming. The assassin turned back and spotted Emmara raising his gun he shot at her, and she dodged them. The assassin turned and kicked in the door and disappeared from Emmara's sight for only a moment. _

_When she reached the bedchamber, the man held his gun to the Queen's auburn head with a crazed scowl on his face. The Queen showed no fear, but instead kept her chin held high. She had dealt with scum like this before, and had yet to be injured. Emmara took it far more seriously, lowering her weapon in a sign of appeasement. _

"_You pesky guardians have proved to be more difficult than I had predicted." He hissed, "Don't move another muscle, missy. Or her brains will make a nice new wall painting." Emmara stood still raising her hands up above her head. _

"_This is suicide, assassin." Emmara threatened through clenched teeth. He only laughed, far too boisterously._

"_The Queen's the one who's gonna die today." Emmara shook her head in disappointment; she had hoped maybe this one had at least a lick of sense._

"_Did you neglect to do your homework? If you kill her, and I, as well as anyone in this palace will not stop until you are dead." Emmara lowered her hands behind her back to feel for the gun she had tucked there, as a last resort. She has always hated guns. The assassin noticed her hands and jerked the gun against the Queen's scalp, his eyes raging. _

"_Hands were I can see them, girly." He growled, tightening his grip on his prisoner. Emmara put her hands up in the air, unsure of how to proceed. She could certainly use Valor to push him away, but she feared if she did so he would pull the trigger and that would put the queen in danger. _

_Neither the assassin nor Emmara noticed when Jade had come sprinting down the hallway, and taken a shot at the assassin. The shot missed, grazing the assassin's ear but doing no fatal damage. Taken by surprise the assassin released his hold on the queen to grab at his injured ear. The queen hurried out of his arms reach and ducked to take cover behind her bodyguards. It only took a blink of an eye for the assassin to bolt away and crash through the window of the palace. Emmara and Jade both dashed to the window, and watched as the assassin scampered away. They were both astonished that he had survived the two story drop. _

"_He was wearing the symbol of GoSal on his arm." Jade noticed, her eyes narrowing as they turned to assist the queen. Emmara nodded, "Criax is becoming a very dangerous man, Your Majesty we need to be mindful of his little group." _

"_I agree with Jade. We can pursue him if you wish your majesty?" The queen shook her head, _

"_Not tonight, Emmara." She replied, "Your presence is needed at the royal gala. We know who he works for, and you can hunt my brother tomorrow." Her voice betrayed the sadness she was trying to hide on her stoic face. _

_GoSal , which stands for Government Salvation. Criax was their leader and was the Queen's twin brother born only a few minutes after she was, and he had been bitter about it ever since. She assumed the throne simply because she was a few minutes his senior, and it ate him up. So recently he had decided to dedicate his life to overthrowing his sister and trying to take the throne from her. _

_He only had a few followers, twenty at the most, but now he had sent assassins to her? He was becoming dangerous, and needed to be taken care of. Tomorrow they would start a search for GoSal and its men, but tonight they had a gala to attend. The Queen had insisted that her handmaidens come as ladies, not as bodyguards. She insisted that the soldiers could take care for the night. Emmara was not very keen to the idea. She hated dresses. _

"That was the first attack on the Queen's life that day, and we all assumed that it was the last." She spoke slowly, her eyes closed as she thought of what came next. "I wish it had been."

_The ballroom of the palace had been elegantly decorated for the evening's event. Beautiful arranged flowers of all kinds decorated the room, and twinkling lights had been strung across the ceiling giving the room a soft golden glow. An orchestra was playing at the front of the room, and already people were beginning to flow into the room filling the open spaces. The Queen had not made an appearance quite yet, but all of her Handmaidens were mingling in the crowd or sitting at the tables that surrounded the dance floor. _

_Emmara had taken a seat off to the side and was playing with the extravagant diamond bracelet on her wrist as she watched everyone in the crowd and nursing a glass of champagne. Representatives from all over the country were in attendance, and that made Emmara feel sort of uneasy. Politicians rubbed Emmara the wrong way. They were always shady and deceptive, hiding their true intentions from everyone. She never knew what to believe when it came to politics. _

_Jade had gone off to do a perimeter check, and since then Emmara had noticed that she had been lured to the dance floor by a handsome blonde man. Emmara smiled slightly to herself. She was surprised that Jade had been deterred from her task, but at the same time she was glad Jade was enjoying herself. Her eyes turned away from her closest friend and back to the scenery. The room was now filled with delighted conversation, and beautiful music. _

"_Her Majesty Queen Callista of Eonia." A deep voice rang out, introducing the Queen. Everyone who was sitting stood up out of respect as the Queen entered, and those on the dance floor had come to a stop. It wasn't until the Queen had taken her seat that the activities resumed. Emmara returned to her seat, and happily took another glass of champagne from the waiter that had come to collect her empty glass. She frowned into her glass. Intoxicating herself was possibly a bad decision, but Emmara found that she was unable to control herself. It was a party after all. _

"_It is disheartening to see a beautiful woman so forlorn on such a glorious evening, even more so because you appear to be unaccompanied." Emmara shifted her sights to a handsome dark haired man who had slid into the chair next to her. His amber eyes were on her emerald orbs and his mouth shifted into a pleasant smirk. _

"_Forlorn? I prefer fortunately overlooked." She joked, taking another sip from her glass._

"_You enjoy being the picturesque portrait in the background I assume." He added, leaning closer to Emmara._

"_You assume correctly then, sir." She agreed, "I am Emmara Niada, Handmaiden to Her Majesty." She extended her hand toward the gentleman with a smile. He nodded and took her hand and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. Emmara's cheeks flared with heat. _

"_It is a pleasure to meet you, Emmara Niada." He whispered against her knuckles, "My name is Falon Jarem, and I would love to share the next dance with you." _

_Emmara thought it over for a moment. She had sworn to herself that she would simply keep her eyes peeled, and watch the crowd for any trouble that might stir. She had never expected to meet a handsome stranger interested in dancing, let alone with her. She was used to the attentions of a man, mind you, but they had all been soldiers flirting with her who worked in the palace. This felt very different, and it made her heart pump loudly in her ears. All of her fellow handmaidens seemed to be enjoying themselves tonight, why couldn't she? Beside's she loved to dance._

_Emmara nodded with a smile. _

"_I would like that." She responded as he stood up and pulled her chair out for her as she stood. _

_She followed him to the dance floor, her hand clutching at his arm tightly. She was nervous. She hadn't danced in public for a very long time, let alone with a partner. Her clover green charmeuse dress made her feel slightly self conscious, and the open criss-crossed dramatic back made her feel slightly exposed. She knew she shouldn't have let Jade talk her into this ridiculous dress. Her brows furrowed as she flattened her dress against her stomach uncomfortably. Not only had she let them convince her to wear the dress, they also had her in extravagant jewelry as well. The weight on her ears and neck were foreign to her and she felt herself feel for them unconsciously. _

_Falon led her to the dance floor gracefully and pulled her into his arms. Her initial impression was that he was going to be a magnificent dancer, simply from his immaculate posture. It made her even more aware of the loud thumping of her heartbeat in her ears. She quieted her mind. This is what I'm good at, she thought to herself. Before coming to the palace Emmara wanted to be a dancer, and so she took multiple lessons over the years. She still practices daily, and goes to classes when she has free time. _

_She squared her shoulders and stood a little straighter, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't banish the nervous feeling in her stomach. He must have noticed because he leant down and whispered in her ear, _

"_Do not look so nervous, my dear. I promise not to lead you astray." Emmara tilted her chin to look into his broad chest in embarrassment. Falon emitted a merry laugh. _

"_I apologize." She muttered, "I have not danced with a partner in a very long time." _

_Falon began to lead her in the twirling waltz that had begun to play. She was sad to find that his feet were clumsier than she had previously thought, and she bit her lip when he almost stepped on her toes for a third time. She almost wanted to take over and begin to lead him across the dance floor. _

"_Handmaiden to the Queen that is very impressive. Quite a sacrifice I'm sure…" He said, secretly hoping for her to elaborate. Emmara nodded. _

"_I came to the palace when I was eight so I hardly know anything else." Emmara started, "Sometimes I do miss my family a great deal but we are permitted to visit every once in a while when we are not needed." _

"_So you are no stranger to sacrifice." He stated, pulling her slightly closer to him as the music slowed. Emmara shrugged. _

"_When I first arrived at the palace it was very hard, but the other guardians became my family and that made it much easier to endure." Emmara felt odd telling this stranger so much. Perhaps the champagne had loosened her tongue a tad too much. So Emmara closed her mouth, _

"_But let us talk about something interesting." She started, "What do you do?" She felt like she had successfully taken the attention off of herself without him noticing. _

"_I am actually from Varsei and am here as a guest. I'm visiting my Uncle Senator Bordex and his wife, Elaine." Emmara nodded, she knew Senator Bordex she had seen him a few times. "I am a pilot." Emmara smiled._

"_Sounds exciting." Falon nodded,_

"_I'm sure as a handmaiden you are a trained pilot." Emmara nodded as well, _

"_Of course we are trained in many different things, although flying is my least favorite." She admitted with slight embarrassment, "Makes me anxious." Falon laughed._

"_So it isn't so exciting then…" He teased, and Emmara flushed a dark pink stumbling slightly. _

"_I'm sure that it is exciting when it you aren't combat fighting." She stuttered, mortified at her own words. "I'm sorry I had no intention of insulting you…" Falon simply shrugged it off, not in the least bit insulted. _

"_I took no offense." Emmara's smile was genuine when she looked up at the handsome stranger. She knew that the feeling blossoming in the pit of her stomach was infatuation, and she was terrified. It had been a very long time since she had ever allowed herself to feel such things, and it was alarming. Who was this man that was so easily making her forget all of the rules that she had set for herself? And why was she so easily allowing herself to be distracted?_

"You had never met this man before?" Obi-wan interjected when Emmara had taken a slight break before continuing her tale. She shook her head.

"I had never seen him before in my life." She told him, and Obi-wan already knew where her tale was going. Whoever this group was they were trying to distract vital members so that they could attack without a fight. It was certainly a sufficient tactic.

He nodded for her to continue.

_The pair danced for a few songs before retreating back to the table to rest. For a moment Emmara swore that she felt a disturbance but as quickly as it came it was gone, so she let it go ignoring all of her training. She nodded politely to Falon as he held the chair out for her to take a seat. In moments a waiter had come around offering more glasses of champagne and wine, and she graciously took one. Looking over at Falon she took a small sip. _

"_I must say this evening is turning out to be more enjoyable then I was expecting." She admitted, tucking a curled strand of hair behind her ear. Falon smiled handsomely, showing the row of perfectly straight teeth. She knew she shouldn't be flirting with this man, but she brushed the feelings away. It was only one night. _

_There was a vibrating and Falon pulled a communicator out of his jacket._

"_Sorry this has been going off for the past twenty minutes." He smiled at Emmara before looking it over quickly. His face turned solemn for a moment, and just like that it disappeared when he looked up at Emmara. Unsure of what had happened Emmara smiled back with uncertainty. _

"_Would you like to take a walk with me?" Falon showed his handsome smile once more as he stood up and offered her his hand. She took one last sip of her champagne before she took his hand and stood up. _

_He led her out into the spacious hallway of the palace, leading her down dark corridors. There were soldiers posted at every other turn, but soon they had traveled far enough away from the dancing hall that the soldiers became practically nonexistent. Emmara continued to follow him and make small talk but the uneasy feeling in her stomach was growing at an alarming rate. With every step she took she felt her stomach drop a little farther, and so with suspicious eyes she turned to Falon. Something was off, and she was too distracted to notice. _

_She touched his mind and mentally cursed herself when she found what his plans were. Once she came out of it she immediately had to block his fist as it flew at her. She did so expertly, dodging a few more blows before taking the opportunity to kick him in the side sending him backwards a few steps. He advanced again and threw fist after fist as she stepped back and dodged them. He was trying to rush her into an abandoned room, but she knew better. So she pushed back. _

_She turned to the side as his fist flew past her cheek and grabbed his arm to flip him over her shoulder so that he was sprawled across the floor. Without missing a beat she placed the heel of her stiletto against his throat, pressing down slightly. _

"_Who the hell are you?" She spat, stepping down a little more so that he was gasping for air. He choked when she released some pressure, but kept her foot their just in case. "What are you planning?"_

"_That is not important." He wheezed, grabbing her ankle and pulling her down so she fell onto her back. He quickly straddled her and wrapped his hands around her throat. She panicked for a moment before with all of her strength she hit at the juncture of his elbows so his arms bent and released his hold. He was still much larger than her, so with all of her strength she pushed up and over to roll his weight off of her. _

_She hurried to grab the knife she had strapped to her calf before he could overtake her again. He was scrambling to his feet, but before he could get his footing she leapt up and rammed the butt of the knife against the back of his skull. He fell to the ground unconscious and so she had to think quickly. Before he came to, she dragged him into the abandoned supply room and found some cords to bind his hands and feet. She had to work quickly so she could warn the soldiers to get the Queen out of that ballroom. _

_Once he was secured she ran out of the room and dashed down the dark hallway. She was running as fast as her feet would carry her, and her heart was pumping in her ears loudly. All she could think was how stupid she had been! The Queen was in danger and if she was injured it would be her fault. She pushed herself to run faster. _

_The moment a soldier came into view she slowed her pace slightly and shouted,_

"_Get the Queen out of the ballroom! Get everyone out of there! NOW! There is a man in there with a bomb!" It took a split second for the soldiers to realize that it was her, one of the guardians, before they jumped to action. They fell into step behind her, running down the corridor towards the ballroom. _

_They burst through the double doors, startling everyone around them. The Queen got to her feet to see what the commotion was all about, and when she saw Emmara rushing toward her she felt a lick of fear sear in her stomach. Emmara reached them, but it was too late. There was a man about twenty feet away from where they stood opened his jacket to reveal the wiring and makings of a bomb, and with a wicked smile he pressed a button. _

_There was a moment where everything fell silent, and then the silence imploded with a loud BANG. People were thrown off their feet, those closest to the source were no longer alive, and there were a few that were missing appendages. Emmara had been blown off of her feet, and she had felt the heat singe the fabric on her back. She hadn't been knocked out, but her ears were ringing loudly. A pain tore through her chest as she felt her friends being ripped away abruptly. Tears stung in her emerald eyes. _

_Something hard was beneath her and she looked down to see that she had landed on top of Raleigh. Panic filled her chest as she saw that her eyes were closed and there was a puddle of blood beneath her head. Shaking and dizzy from the blast, but otherwise unharmed, Emmara managed to press her fingers to Raleigh's neck to feel for a pulse. There was nothing. A tear dripped down her cheek. Raleigh had been the one who trained her, and they had been close since she had come to the palace. _

_In a second Emmara's mind came to remember to check to see if the Queen had survived. She carefully got to her feet, her blurry eyes trying to see through the thick smoke that filled the room. Once her eyes landed on the form of the queen she darted forward, and fell to her knees beside her. _

_She was on her stomach, debris lying all around her and Emmara swore when she saw blood. Very carefully she turned the queen over onto her back, and felt a weight lift off of her shoulders when the queen's eyes opened and she looked at Emmara._

"_How many are lost?" Emmara felt more tears drip down her cheeks. _

"_It is unsure, milady. Raleigh has passed, but it has only been moments since the explosion I haven't had the chance to check for anyone else." The queen carefully nodded her head. _

"_Find them, Emmara. Find whoever did this and bring them to justice." Her voice was hoarse, almost a whisper, and Emmara had to strain to hear through the ringing in her ears. But she understood and nodded to the regent. _

"_I swear I will your majesty." She promised, conviction laced in her words. "Now rest, I will send someone to help you." Queen Gala nodded slowly before her eyes drifted closed. _

_Wiping the tears and ashes from her face Emmara stood up and turned around to see the damage. Dark billowing smoke had filled the ballroom, and most people were choking and coughing as they tried to flee from the carnage. Emmara's eyes fell on a tall man standing to her left with his back against balcony doors. As he looked over the room he had a smirk on his face, and Emmara's insides froze. He was one of them, and he could lead her to those responsible. He must have felt her gaze on him because their eyes locked, and he turned to run. Emmara darted into action as he turned to struggle with the balcony doors and before she could reach him he had kicked them open and ran out. _

"I found Jade on the balcony and we followed them to the hangar, and you probably know the rest." She finished, her eyes shining with unshed tears as she thought of all of the friends she had lost that day. She didn't even know if the Queen had survived the attack.

"Did Falon and the others survive the crash?" She asked, tearing her mind away from its previous thoughts. Obi-wan nodded.

"Yes," Was the simple answer he gave her, and she waited for more but it never came.

"Are they in custody? They are dangerous." She said, trying to get more information but Obi-wan was not going to oblige.

"They are being dealt with by the council. That is all I can tell you." Emmara sighed.

"You will let us take them when we find a way home, right?" She asked in seriousness, "They are traitors and murderers and they deserve to face the Queen for the atrocious crimes they have committed."

"It is not within my power to make you such a promise." Obi-wan told her, "But I am sure the council will hear your concerns if you request an audience with them."

Emmara accepted that, that was all of the information she was going to receive from them on the matter.

"Can you tell us more about your home?" Anakin wondered. He was very curious to hear more about the planet they came from, and whenever he asked Jade she sort of closed off and wouldn't talk about it. Emmara nodded.

"What would you like to know?"

"What do you guys do exactly?" He asked, "I know you are Guardians, but I don't know exactly what that means." Emmara smiled at the teenage boy,

"Guardians have been handmaidens to the Queen for centuries." She started, "As a child we are chosen because of our connection to Valor." She paused noticing that Anakin had a question posed on the tip of his tongue but wasn't sure if it was okay to interrupt her story. She gave him the go ahead to speak.

"Why is it called Valor?" Emmara smiled,

"There was a warrior a very, very long time ago named Valor who gave his life to protect the Queen and his country. In return the Gods gave him immortality, but he was not among the living. He was the spirit of every living thing in Eonia, and his offspring were given the power to feel and utilize that spirit for the good of Eonia." She gave him the shortened version of the legend, knowing that they certainly didn't want to listen to her prattle on for a good while about the history of her people.

Anakin and Obi-wan were enthralled by the story, and when it ended they both wanted her to continue.

"Ever since then those who have shown signs of connecting to his spirit, are chosen to train at the Eastebourne Palace where Valor lived, and died." She told them, thinking of the majestic memorial that resided in the center of the Forest of Eastebourne that had been dedicated to the fallen warrior. Where his mortal body had been laid to rest they had planted an Eonian Malvrid in that spot; a tree that stood over 400 feet tall, and almost 100 hundred feet wide. There were only three of these trees in the country, but none of them had grown to the epic proportions that the Memorial Tree had.

"Are there only women?" Emmara was pulled out of her reverie by Anakin's question, and she shook her head.

"No, but only the women are chosen as Guardians because we attend to the Queen. The men are trained and become Royal Soldiers. There are not many of us, perhaps a hundred and fifty out of the entire population. Of that number only fifty of them are women." She explained, "Twenty-six of the women are young girls who are still in training like Halley."

They both nodded in understanding.

Emmara yawned, and Obi-wan realized that they had taken up a full hour of the young woman's time. He stood and looked to his padawan.

"We apologize for taking up so much of your time, milady." he told her sincerely, and Emmara shook it off.

"Don't apologize. Although next time expect you guys to tell me all about the Jedi and the Temple." She said with a laugh, "Everything I have seen so far is extraordinary."

….

Later that evening Obi-wan and Anakin had sat down for their evening meal before they retired.

"Master, do you think it is wise to be training her?" Obi-wan looked across the table to his padawan as he spoke. Obi-wan had noticed that Anakin was weary of the young woman, and he was curious as to why.

"If the council has no problem with it, then neither do I." His answer only seemed to make his padawan cross. Obi-wan set his fork down and crossed his arms over his chest. Anakin's eyes met his master's.

"You are friends with the other travelers, Anakin, what is different about Emmara?" His question was honest and out right and Anakin appreciated the act. Anakin shuffled the food around on his plate with the end of his fork, his eyes staring intently at the pile of green beans that sat neglected.

"She makes me uneasy." Anakin admitted, completely aware that he just was not fond of what he had seen of the woman. She had been given an amazing opportunity and she was cautious to accept it. It baffled Anakin to no end. How does she consider herself above the teaching of the Jedi? Anakin's eyes narrowed dangerously, she was nowhere near as skilled as he was in the force. He was the Chosen One, for cripes sake. Why was the council so open and willing to take her in and train her, but when they had been faced with the decision to train him they hesitated? It made his blood boil just to think of it. It was not fair.

"For what reasons?" Obi-wan asked, curious to see how his padawan was thinking. He could definitely sense the feeling of irritation… and was that jealousy? Obi-wan's eyebrows furrowed as he watched his padawan's eyes narrow into slits. Once he realized that his master had spoken to him he snapped out of his daze and feigned to be nonchalant about the matter.

"I don't know, Master." He replied cautiously, aware that his words were a bald faced lie. He knew exactly why he wasn't fond of Emmara Niada. He just didn't want his master to be angry with him for his brazen emotions.

"I don't know is hardly an answer, Anakin." Obi-wan scolded, "You have no reason to be cross with Miss Niada, and so you will treat her with respect."

Anakin nodded solemnly at his masters instructions. He knew that training alongside her would be difficult, and so he began to brace himself for a few months of hiding his emotions from those around him. He had done it before, and he could do it again.

Once dinner was over, Obi-wan retreated his bedchambers to meditate. He had a great many thoughts he needed to sort out. He never wanted to admit it, but he was extremely weary at the thought of the upcoming day. Not only would he have to be aware of Anakin he would have more students to teach, and Anakin was difficult enough. Certainly, he loved Anakin as a brother but he knew that his emotions were volatile and dangerous and keeping them in control was a constant battle for the young man. Obi-wan could hardly keep him in line. He was very arrogant, and always wanting to show off and let others know that he was gifted. It troubled Obi-wan immensely. He always reflected back to his training with Qui-gon and tried to teach his own padawan accordingly. Never would he have imagined it would be so difficult.

He stepped through the doorway to his room and immediately closed it behind him. Walking into the center of the room he carefully sat down into a cross legged position with his hands resting on his knees. Closing his eyes he began to take slow, steady breaths. Breathe in. Breathe out. Closing his mind to the world around him Obi-wan began to search through his mind to help look at certain situations with more clarity.

In moments he was completely nestled inside the walls of his own mind.


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five:**

It had taken a week for Emmara to be released from the Med Center.

They had put her injured leg in a brace for support. She still had trouble putting her full weight on her left leg, but she was finding that it was becoming easier each day. They still gave her a pair of crutches to walk with just in case and three times a week she was scheduled to go back to Med Center for physical therapy, which was a daunting task for Emmara. Relearning how to walk correctly was going to take time, relearning how to do everything else that she used to be able do would take longer. It had taken her years to learn to fight, and now she was starting over. She could only pray that once she could walk again most of her training would come back to her naturally.

After her morning training Jade had come to escort Emmara from the Med Center. It was mid day and most of the temples occupants were currently in the cafeteria for lunch and so that is where they were headed. Halley was already there waiting with Briam and Anakin, after their lesson's Marcus had disappeared and no one had seen him since.

Thankfully Emmara hardly had any possessions to take with her when she left. The dress she had been wearing upon arrival was ruined beyond repair, and her shoes had also taken a turn for the worse. The only things left were the diamond earrings and matching necklace that she had been wearing; both of which slipped easily into the pocket of the pants they had provided for her. So as they walked they weren't burdened with anything else; it was hard enough for Emmara to walk as it is. The crutches were still new and were stiff beneath her arms. She knew that her underarms were going to be very sore until they became accustomed to the crutches.

The walk through the vast open hallways of the temple were predominantly silent, as Emmara was busy focused on each step forward. She remembered to try to and put little bit of weight on the leg with each step to help rebuild the muscles that had been torn. Every time she felt a twinge of pain bolt through the length of her leg, and she would wince slightly. She had to stop to give her leg a rest after about ten minutes. She was annoyed that it took so little to make her break a sweat.

"It is going to take time, Mara." Jade attempted to comfort Emmara, but Emmara was too stubborn.

"Well it shouldn't." She snapped, and immediately felt guilty. "I am sorry, Jay. It is just so maddening that I can't do something as simple as walk a few feet!"

"Well don't let me interrupt the pity party." Emmara's eyes narrowed, but deep down she knew her friend was right. It would do no good to complain about her problem, she should simply work to fix it. Emmara took a moment to take a deep calming breath and release her feelings of frustration from her body. With a renewed determination Emmara began to go forward once more.

After losing their way a few times Emmara and Jade had successfully made it to the mess hall.

Carefully weaving her way through the cluster of Jedi blocking her way, Emmara somehow maneuvered herself through the crowd. The moment Halley spotted Emmara she ran to her and accidentally lost her footing and bumped into her and sent Emmara flailing backwards. Her crutches had fallen away and she had no way to catch herself even if she wanted to.

Before Emmara could fall too far, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her middle and effectively stopped her fall.

Emmara's heart was racing a mile a minute. Everything had happened so fast and so when she set back on her feet she almost didn't register everything that had occurred. The adrenaline had allowed her to stand on her own for a few seconds before the pain registered in her leg and it went limp sending her sprawling once more toward the hard ground. The same pair of arms righted her fall,

"Balance can be a tricky business." Obi-wan's voice teased, "Although I would suggest that you avoid the sprinting youngling intent on knocking you to the floor." He looked down to Halley and she turned a violent shade of crimson before shuffling away to sit with the others.

Emmara laughed loudly before turning to face her rescuer. Obi-wan stood before her with a smirk across his handsome face. She noticed now in the natural lighting, Obi-wan had breathtakingly blue eyes. They just popped right out at you, and Emmara found herself embarrassed under his gaze.

"Apparently so." She said turning her eyes away for a brief moment. "You would think I skipped right over that vital life lesson."

Obi-wan shared another laugh with Emmara before he guided her over to where the rest of her group was currently sitting. Obi-wan had come to collect Anakin for training, and he was hardly surprised to see him amongst the group of newcomers. They had definitely accepted Anakin, and vice versa. At the same time Obi-wan was worried that they were becoming too large of distraction for his padawan, which could be disastrous. Obi-wan did not want to have to end their training together, but Anakin needed to be focused on his studies. It was a difficult position he was in.

"Has anyone seen Marcus?" Jade asked, looking around the cafeteria but not seeing their fellow Eonian anywhere. They all shook their heads. Jade sighed. Strange.

The conversation shifted when Briam turned to Master Kenobi.

"How are you today Master Kenobi?" Briam asked as the Jedi took a seat beside his padawan.

"I am well. How is the training going?" He returned, knowing that today they were in the hands of Mace Windu for their training. Briam laughed, which surprised Obi-wan. Did he miss something? The look on his face must have said it all because Briam spoke next.

"Jade, anything you would care to share?" He teased and backed up when Jade leaned across the table to smack his shoulder.

"No." She muttered darkly, "Let's just say that Master Windu and I should not be allowed near each other."

Obi-wan could tell from the tone of her voice that she was hardly trying to disguise her aversion to the Jedi Master. Obi-wan had trained with Master Windu before and found his teaching to be thorough and to the point; this thought lead him to wonder what had caused Jade to be so cross with the man. He could hardly imagine Master Windu arguing with a pupil openly. He decided to ignore the urge to ask her the full details; he had no room for gossip in his daily activities he had too many other things to focus on.

He looked up to see Emmara's green eyes trained on him and their eyes met. He almost felt uncomfortable from her blatant staring but pushed it aside.

"So when exactly does this training happen?" She asked, although her first question was overlooked when she asked the following; "Have you guys begun to look into how to get home?"

Jade nodded.

"Anakin and I have gone over the wreckage of the ship, and salvaged what we could. It will be impossible to get her up and running again." She said sadly at the thought of her downed space craft. Anakin seemed to disagree.

"It would take time, but it could be completely rebuilt from the skeleton only." Anakin told her, "By time I mean possibly years, but it is not impossible."

"Might as well be impossible." Jade countered, "We don't have years to spend rebuilding her, and we need to get home soon."

Anakin conceded, and nodded.

"Have you found any information on the black hole; if it is still even there?" She continued to ask, hoping that they had been doing more than just training with the Jedi. She understood that it would be beneficial training when they returned home, but if they weren't trying to return home how would they benefit from the training? They couldn't be stuck in this galaxy for forever? Could they? What would they do then? What would happen to the Queen?

These thoughts perplexed Emmara, and she didn't notice when Briam had answered her questions. Her brow was furrowed. She suddenly felt very anxious. Her heart began to beat wildly, and she felt her chest constricting. All of the unanswered questions filled her mind in a vicious attack of anxiety.

"Emmara are you alright?" Obi-wan asked as he watched the young woman's face flush as her breaths became labored. She snapped out of her reverie for a minute.

"I… need air." She replied. "I can't… breathe." Jade stood up to help Emmara to her feet, while Obi-wan circled around the table to come support her other arm. He lead them out of the dining hall quickly, taking them through a few corridors until they reached an open balcony that overlooked the gardens below. They carefully set Emmara down on the stone bench and gave her room so that she could catch her breath.

"It just… hit me… all at once…" She gasped, "I'm sorry…" Her breathing began to slow as she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. Obi-wan noticed the technique she used to dispel all negative energy from herself into the Force. It took her a few moments to compose herself, but soon she was breathing steadily although there were still tears in her eyes.

She looked up at the pair as they stood above her.

"That was strange." She said brushing her hand over her forehead, "I have never had a panic attack before."

"Have you ever had a reason to be this panicked before?" Jade asked her, and Emmara considered the question. She shook her head.

"Good point."

Anakin appeared at the balcony doors with the crutches and a glass of water for Emmara. She sipped it graciously. Embarrassment began to filter through her thoughts at her outburst, and she felt her face begin to heat up considerably. In an attempt to ignore the mortified feeling she was experiencing, Emmara turned her face away from the others towards the horizon. The tall buildings winked at Emmara in the sunlight and she realized how beautiful Coruscant was, in its own way. She hadn't ever actually been outside of the temple thus far, and so she had never had a clear view of the skyline. She managed to shuffle to her feet to stand against the railing to watch the city from afar.

"You guys don't have to stay." She told them with a quick look over her shoulder. "I'll be fine now."

Jade raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

"We have class in fifteen minutes, and you are coming with us." She said sternly, "No need to let you sit around and let your mind wander." Emmara smiled at Jade and nodded.

"Alright." She said, "Let's go." Jade handed Emmara the crutches and Emmara accepted them gratefully. She looked to Obi-wan, and she still felt embarrassment for her actions. It made her feel slightly better when he gave her an encouraging smile. Emmara had already noticed that he was very handsome, not in the boyish way that his padawan was, but in a more manly way. The thoughts made her face burn, and she could only smile awkwardly.

"Do you need help finding your way?" Anakin mocked, and Jade shoved him playfully. He stumbled to the side laughing. Emmara smiled at them. She hadn't seen Jade so carefree in a long time. It was comforting, although if she was going to behave anything like she did when they were teenagers Emmara was nervous. Jade had a love of practical jokes, and Emmara found herself the target more than once.

She looked over to see that Obi-wan was watching the pair walk away as well, although his face displayed his dismay.

"I am guessing that Jade is becoming a distraction…" She said aloud, knowing full well that Jade tended to veer off subject when she wanted to and took whoever would listen with her. Emmara knew because she always was Jade's number two.

Obi-wan looked over to Emmara and gave a single nod.

"I am worried that Anakin is beginning to become attached to Miss Aviosa." He told her, "That is dangerous. Anakin is very proud, and loves to show off." Emmara laughed.

"I don't think you need to worry about Jade, though." She told him seriously, "She has a thing for Briam. She and Anakin are only friends."

Obi-wan nodded. He was going to ask how she knew, but she answered before he could.

"Jade tells me everything."

Emmara stepped forward and Obi-wan followed beside her, walking with his arms crossed behind his back. He had an air of seriousness about him, and Emmara had a sudden inkling that he was very proper and stoic. Being in the temple Emmara had noticed that Jedi had their emotions guarded most of the time, and so she found it harder to read them. It was especially difficult with Obi-wan because she knew that she found him attractive, even after such a short amount of time knowing him. It was only a crush, so she knew it would pass, but it made it difficult to be around him without feeling like an idiot whenever she spoke.

"You know Master Windu, I'm assuming?" Emmara asked after a few moments of silence, and Obi-wan nodded.

"He is the Master of the Order." He answered,

"That sounds important." She said and he nodded his head, "Is it difficult?" She changed topics completely, her curiosity getting the better of her. Obi-wan looked over at her, unsure of what she meant exactly. "Being a Jedi, is it hard?"

Obi-wan considered this for a moment.

"It is a way of life, and I have hardly known anything else." Emmara nodded as they continued down the hallway.

"As someone who wasn't raised here, will it be difficult."

"Sometimes it was difficult for me even having grown up in the Temple." He told her, "Learning to master the force will take time." That was hardly what she wanted to hear.

"You are talking to one of the most impatient people in the universe. That does not sound good." Emmara laughed at herself, knowing full well that she did not like having to wait.

Obi-wan didn't believe that. From what he had seen of the young woman she was far from impatient, but she was considerate. He could also see that she cared for her friends deeply, and was very kind and warm. When they had been introduced she had given him a warm, heartfelt smile.

"I scarcely believe that." She looked at him in surprise. "You have already drawn from the Force by healing your injuries, and I can tell that you draw upon it now for strength to manage the pain." He motioned to her braced leg, and she smiled timidly.

"I did not realize…" Obi-wan smiled.

"That is why you must learn." He encouraged and she smiled.

"You are going to be teaching us as well, right?" She asked, wanting to get to know him. He seemed like a good person, and a good friend. It wouldn't hurt to make friends.

"Yes." He told her. "In the morning we will be going over the meditation process."

They reached the rest of the group and then parted ways. Emmara followed as they made their way to find Master Windu and begin their lesson.

An hour later Emmara found herself sitting beside Jade while Master Windu continued his lecture on the Jedi ways. Emmara had learned a lot in the past hour, and was worried that she wouldn't be able to retain it all. He had told them of the importance of learning to control your emotions so that you can decipher the will of the force without the conflicting emotions confusing the matter. He had also begun to teach them how to listen to the will of the force, and how to call upon it for our own purposes.

Emmara was astonished when she had closed her eyes and concentrated on the things around her. She felt a subtle hum and vibration in air, and when her eyes popped open the sensation disappeared. She looked over to see Jade beside her with a book floating by her head. Emmara could hardly believe it, and when she reached forward to touch it the book plummeted back to the floor with a thump.

The more she saw of the force the more she felt compelled to learn.

It was very much like Valor, but home they were simply trained to sense the world around them and sometimes too move faster than normal. They were never taught to move objects with their will, although that could be applied to their physical bodies which they did learn. Their main focus was on combat training though. Being here she knew that the training she had endured at the Palace was only a fraction of what the Jedi went through training at the palace. It almost scared her to think of the time and effort they had to put in to accomplish anything.

She just hoped that their efforts here wouldn't be in vain. Emmara had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that finding a way home was going to be very difficult, nigh impossible. She wouldn't give up, but she was not letting herself get her hopes up on the matter. She needed to learn to conform to the world she was in now just in case it became a permanent thing. If they did end up staying on Coruscant it made her wonder what she would do. Would she become a Jedi? Would she even want to? So far everyone that she had met was friendly, but something felt like it was missing.

Love.

That was the only word she could describe, and not just love between a man and a woman but the love of friends and family. Although her own family had disowned her, Emmara considered all of the Guardians at the palace her true family. They were all she had, and they were all close and worked as a large family unit. It was something that Emmara felt she could not live without and it made her wonder how all of them had.

Jade on the other hand was beaming with pride from her accomplishment. It had been the first time that she had fully understood how to tap directly into the force, and she was glad that she now had a brief experience. It had been an amazing breakthrough for her, and she felt that this was only the beginning. So when Master Windu concluded the lesson she was almost sad to leave.

She walked beside Briam with Emmara and Marcus following closely behind.

"That was impressive." Briam remarked, looking down to Jade with a smile. She beamed with pride, but could feel the heat flushing her cheeks from his attention.

"Really?" He nodded, and she smiled. "Thank you."

"You're going to have to help the rest of us catch up." He continued to flatter her with words, and from behind them Emmara smiled. She knew that they were soft on each other, and Emmara couldn't be happier for them. They had spent so much time together that Emmara found it unsurprised that they had become sweet on one another.

Jade turned back to Emmara. "Are you excited to see our apartment?" She asked, temporarily averting her attention away from Briam. Emmara nodded. "Well let's go."

So Emmara followed Jade and the others up to their temporary living space.

There were two rooms side by side, Marcus and Briam in one, the girls in the other. Jade showed her to her room which was a nice size with a twin size bed, one small dresser in the corner, a small closet, and one window looking out over the city. It was quaint, but perfect. The bed was flawlessly made with a plain brown blanket, white sheets, and a single white pillow. Nothing was flashy, much like the rest of the temple; nothing was gaudy but it had a classic and elegant beauty. Emmara found it strange that she didn't feel out of place in the Jedi Temple, but instead felt that she fit right in. Like a book sliding perfectly into the only space left on the shelf.

She was surprised that everyone else felt the same, for the most part. She hadn't really gotten a chance to sit down and talk to Briam or Marcus. She had seen them in passing back home at the palace, but they never worked together so they didn't know one another. Here, in this new place, they were all the family she had. So she found a new objective to sit down and talk to them and find out who they are, and what they are like.

Jade walked into the room carrying a gray duffel bag thrown over her shoulder and carefully tossed it onto the bed. Emmara wasn't sure what the contents of the bag were, and so she watched as Jade unzipped it and began emptying the contents onto her bed. She pulled out three different pairs of clothes and underclothes, a pair of shoes, a small black box, and another medium sized gray bag. Emmara stepped forward and eyed the clothes before jabbing Jade with her elbow.

"I have been looking for these pants for months!" She cried, "When did you take them?"

"About a month ago I just had this strange feeling that I needed to prepare for an emergency so I put together two bags of necessities for us." Jade replied with a knowing smirk, "Now we know why."

Emmara was astonished at Jade's forethought.

"So you just put together to emergency bags and put them in the Wanderer just in case?" Jade nodded,

"Weird, huh?" She agreed, opening the smaller gray bag and dumping it on the bed beside the clothes. It had contained hair necessities, showering necessities, make up, a journal, writing supplies, and Emmara almost felt like crying when she saw the last item. It was her music player, complete with a set of head phones. She looked up at Jade with an open mouth and Jade laughed.

"I put all of your music on there, because I know music keeps you sane." She said with a smile, "But now you have to use it sparingly because we have no way to charge it now." The fact made Emmara sad, but she was still ecstatic that she didn't have to go completely without. Emmara carefully balanced with one crutch and wrapped Jade in a bear hug, and Jade laughed. Emmara returned her attention to the loot on her bed and picked up the small black box.

Opening it she discovered a pendant with the guardian symbol resting on soft velvet. She smiled and carefully pulled it out of the box to inspect it. It had the royal seal of Eonia on the front, and her name engraved on the back as well as her rank. Emmara smiled, she hadn't been wearing her original necklace when they had come here and she was glad to have one again.

"You're welcome." She laughed, and Emmara did the same. "You are going to love me even more when you see what else I brought, come on it's in my room."

Emmara followed Jade out of her bedroom and across the hallway to her room. Jade ducked into her closet and pulled out a large black duffel bag, which Emmara swore was bigger than Jade. She wanted to help Jade, but her leg and the crutches made it impossible. Jade hid it well if she struggled with the weight of the thing, lifting it up onto her bed.

"What in the name of Hell do you have in there?" She questioned, Jade smirked over her shoulder at Emmara before opening the bag and pulling out a compact compound bow and handed it to Emmara. "How did you get these?"

Jade shrugged.

"The council gave them back after confiscating them for a few days. I swore not to use them without informing the council." She explained and Emmara nodded.

Emmara balanced herself on her crutches and grabbed the bow with both hands, feeling the cool steel beneath her fingers. It was a bittersweet moment for Emmara. It would be impossible for her to practice with the beautiful bow until she could stand on her own, which could take weeks.

"You aren't happy." It was a statement instead of a question, and Emmara raised her eyes to meet Jade's. She smiled gratefully,

"No I am very glad that you brought them." She said slowly, lowering the bow. "It will just be a while before I can actually use it."

"Oh, quit it already." Jade snapped, grabbing the bow from Emmara's grasp and placing it on the bed. Then before Emmara could react Jade snatched the crutches from under her arms and let them fall to the floor. Emmara, flabbergasted from what she had done, carefully balanced herself on her one good leg. She made no argument, knowing exactly why Jade was acting the way that she was. She was just waiting for her to say it out loud.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself!" She scolded, placing her hands on her best friend's shoulders and looking into her eyes. "You are one of the strongest women I know. I watched you take a bullet and still chase after the culprit, and I've seen you keep fighting when you feel like collapsing from exhaustion." She had fired off, her tangent far from over. "You have always been head strong and resilient, and I have also seen you at your most vulnerable point and it was nothing like this!"

"What is going on? Why are you so depressed?" Emmara shrugged her friend's hands from her shoulders and carefully hopped over to the bed to sit down. In that moment she felt ashamed that she had let herself become so pathetic, and then her eyes filled with tears. Why was she so afraid? What was it about this injury that made her so out of character?

Emmara dropped her head so that her chin touched her chest in disgrace. Jade sat down beside Emmara and placed her arm comfortingly around her shoulders.

"You can tell me anything, ya know." She coaxed, "We have been friends for over 15 years, and there is nothing you can say that will make me love you less."

Emmara lifted her face and smiled up at Jade through her bangs, and her face was set in a deep frown. Her eyes were shining with tears and when she spoke her voice was tight.

"What if I can't do it?" She finally cried, angrily wiping at the tears that had fallen down her face. Jade's face displayed her confusion.

"Can't do what?" Emmara took a deep breath.

"My leg will never be the same," She started, "What if I will never be able to do everything that I used to do?"

Jade wanted to laugh at her words, but bit her tongue because she knew that Emmara would take it the wrong way. So she scoffed at her friends antics.

"You will learn how to do everything again, just the way you used to." Jade consoled her, "It may take time, Lu, but if anyone can relearn to dance and to fight it is you. **You can do this**." She emphasized her words and brushed Emmara's loose hair away from her face.

"What if your hands were broken, Jade? How would you feel?" Emmara questioned, hoping to make Jade understand exactly what she was going through. Jade frowned. It took her a moment to think of what to say next.

"It would be hard, and I would be devastated." Jade whispered "But I would fight for what I love instead of moping around telling myself that it is impossible."

Emmara felt all of the air she had been holding rush out of her lungs. She knew that Jade was right. She was letting herself sabotage her happiness. She was making herself believe that she couldn't succeed. That was not true. Emmara was many things, but never a quitter. She would relearn to dance, and she would fight through whatever pain she had to. Dancing was what made her happy, it relaxed her. How could she have been so close to giving up? That was crazy. All of those hours of training, of practice, of pain would be for nothing. Emmara couldn't let that happen. She had shed blood, sweat, and tears. That would not be for naught.

Emmara smiled up at her closest friend before pulling her into a hug once more. Jade held her friend close and rubbed her back.

"You know you hold me in too high a regard." Emmara whispered, "I am not as strong as you think."

Jade scoffed again.

"Don't sell yourself short, shrimpy." She teased which provoked an eye roll from Emmara. She had been enduring short jokes for as long as she could remember from Jade. She wasn't extremely short, she was average height standing at five foot six inches. Jade was just abnormally tall for a girl standing at five foot eleven, almost six feet tall. Emmara poked her in the ribs, not very softly and Jade yelped in pain.

"Shut up you big tree." They both laughed.

"So you and Briam, huh?" She asked with a knowing smile, and Jade blushed. "He is very handsome, congratulations." Jade nodded.

"Nothing has happened, but I want it too." She admitted, and Emmara smiled.

"Well I can go wander the temple for a little bit to give you guys some privacy." She offered, but Jade declined. "Well I am going to go either way, so…" Jade smiled appreciatively to her closest friend.

She left the apartments to explore the Temple alone, and to give Briam and Jade some time together.

After she had found her out of the apartments section, Emmara was at a loss of which direction she should turn. There were so many options before her. Every direction she looked there was a grand hallway that lead to somewhere she had never been before. So, with a smile on her face she turned to her left and began the journey down the long corridor.

Emmara found herself in awe of the majesty of even the hallways. They were full of tall archways, large pillars, intricate wall designs, and the floor was made of gleaming marble. In so many ways it was as regal as a Palace, but in a more subtle nature. Emmara enjoyed running her fingers across the cool stone of the pillars she passed, always looking up to see how tall they stood. She felt like an insect inside these walls.

She was unsure of how long she had wandered the hallways of the Jedi palace, but she knew that it was growing late in the evening. She knew that she should return back to the apartments they shared, but she wanted to continue further. Her thoughts battled amongst each other as she debated whether or not she should continue.

She heard the sound of running water as she was about to turn and head back from she came. She perked her ears up to listen more closely. It definitely was the sound of moving water and she was curious what it could possibly be. So, unable to squash her curiosity, Emmara moved to follow the sound.

She followed her ears into a large open archway that led to a room.

Once inside Emmara found an amazing array of plant life, with so many colors shining back at her that she couldn't help but smile. It was breathtaking. She stepped forward and reached a hand out to touch one of the green plants before her, but a hand reached from out of nowhere and held it at bay.

"Those flowers are extremely poisonous, milady." A voice lilted from beside her.

Emmara almost jumped out of her skin when she turned to see Master Kenobi. She looked down to where his hand still rested over hers and her cheeks burned. She dropped her hand down to her side.

"Master Kenobi, you scared me." She said with a sigh of relief.

"I apologize, milady." He said politely, and Emmara had to laugh.

"I feel so out of place when you call me that." She told him, "Please, Emmara is perfectly fine."

Obi-wan nodded.

"Of course, mi- Emmara." He finished, and Emmara laughed again. "What brings you here?" He asked, wanting to know how she had found her way to this room. Emmara shrugged.

"I was wandering and heard water." She looked around the tall greenery around her, "Although I don't see any water."

Obi-wan smiled,

"You almost made it." He gestured for her to move forward, and she did. He led her around the corner, and looked back to see her eyes widen in awe.

The room opened up before her into a glorious display of water fountains, surrounded by a beautiful display of flowers. She had never seen anything so enchanting.

"It is so beautiful." She whispered, stepping forward slowly. She felt as if she couldn't take the beauty in completely, there was just too much to process. If it had been outside Emmara could have sworn that she was back home, in the lake country of Astevelle where she was born. Waterfalls surrounded Astevelle entirely, leading into wide open lakes. It brought tears to her eyes to picture it, and to see it before her.

"It reminds me of home." She said quietly, not necessarily to Obi-wan although he heard her clearly. "Astevelle is known for its many waterfalls and tall trees." This time she was clearly speaking to him, looking over to see him watching her. "When I was a teenager and we were stationed at the summer palace we would go out and jump from the tops of the waterfalls into the lakes below."

"It sounds dangerous."

Emmara smiled.

"It was forbidden, to be sure." She told him, "Those are some of my fondest memories."

Obi-wan observed Emmara for a moment. She tremendously reminded him of his lost love, Siri Tachi. Although their personalities were polar opposites, at least what he had seen of Emmara anyway, she seemed to still radiate a warm friendly glow that Siri also had. The only other resemblance he saw was in appearance, and in Emmara's obvious loyalty to her close friends.

Obi-wan shook the thoughts away, it had been almost two years since her passing. His heart still ached at the thought of her, but he had mourned her passing for long enough. Of course he would always be sad of the loss, but he couldn't let it weigh him down for forever.

"You miss it?" The answer was obvious, but he wanted to hear what she was thinking. She turned to look at him completely, and he saw the wetness in her eyes.

"Of course." She said quietly, "I have never been so far away from home, and it is still strange to think that we are here. It is all so surreal."

"I am sure we will be able to find a way back to Enisaari." He told her in effort to comfort her, and she smiled at his consideration.

"I hope so." She said, "For now we will try and learn what we can."

Obi-wan nodded, and silence fell between them. All that could be heard was the flowing water around them.

"What are you going to be teaching us, Master Kenobi?" She asked to break the silence.

"Meditation, mainly," He replied, "Anakin has been asked to show you a few defensive tactics."

"Meditation?" Emmara repeated, "What is that?"

"A way to calm your mind, and think clearly."

"Sounds lovely."

There was another pregnant pause between them.

"Perhaps I could give you a lesson to help you catch up?" Obi-wan suggested, wanting to help her learn to sort through her tumultuous emotions that he felt bubbling up inside. Emmara was surprised and quirked an eyebrow at his words in curiosity.

"I don't want to be a pain…"

Obi-wan shook his head.

"It is no trouble." He told her, "I came here with the intention to meditate in the first place."

Emmara smiled broadly. "Really?"

Her eagerness was evident in her voice, and Obi-wan noticed the subtle glint of happiness in her green eyes. He was surprised at the stirring of feelings it brought to his stomach, but pushed them aside before they could take root inside of him. He had no time to be pining over the young lady, and he could not afford to be distracted.

He led her through the maze of greenery into a secluded corner that was meant for privacy to meditate peacefully. The floor was a comfortable square of grass, and there was also a stone bench against the bushes. Setting the crutches to the side, Emmara carefully limped back to the center of the grassy section. Obi-wan grabbed her hand and assisted her as she sat down. She smiled gratefully up at him once she was safely settled in the grass.

He took his place across from her and crossed his legs. She could not do so, and so she just sat with one leg folded with the injured leg sitting straight.

Once they were settled in Obi-wan began to speak.

"The main purpose for meditation is a sense of peace, and for clarity to sort out your emotions and make difficult decisions." He started giving her the basics of meditation, "The first thing you want to do is center yourself," He placed his hands on his knees and straightened his back as he closed his eyes and focused on finding balance. Emmara emulated his posture and closed her eyes and placed her hands on her knees as she listened to Obi-wan's words. "Once you have found balance, sink deeper into your thoughts letting everything around you melt away."

Emmara's eyes were closed and she felt herself sink deeper into her mind. She found it was easier than she had expected, most likely because she was exhausted. She took a deep breath releasing it slowly as she let her mind clear and she felt as relaxed as she could possibly imagine. Without her consent her mind started to work, she thought over the past few weeks. The events of the day of the bombing; the moment when Victoria had been killed, and then later when that bomb shattered her world as she knew it. She thought back to the gala, to the man who she had allowed herself to become distracted by. She remembered his captivating amber gaze, and his dark brown hair that appeared soft to the touch.

Then her mind circled around to a memory where she had seen the man before. She was surprised she hadn't remembered coming across him and Avelle in the courtyard on her night shift as she patrolled the grounds. She had found them whispering to each other on a bench, and at first she had figured that they were sweet hearts coming together for a few stolen moments. Her thoughts flittered back to the night of the gala, and she was squinting to see through the dark cloud of smoke that had filled the ballroom. She could practically smell the fumes of the fire as it burned hot against her back. She was eyeing the same suspicious man, his eyes virtually aglow with amusement as he watched the crowd scatter and run for their lives. She felt the cooling stare on her skin as his eyes found hers.

Then it hit her.

She had seen him at the palace before as well.

The recollection of Avelle vigilantly stepping out of a secluded palace closet, and Emmara had ducked behind a curtain to avoid an embarrassing encounter. The man from the gala, coming from the same closet only a few minutes afterward while she was still hidden behind the large window hanging. She felt her heart stop in her chest as her mind flew back to the night of the gala as she remembered watching Avelle fly right past her as she danced with that same man. At first she had not thought twice about it. Now she knew better. Avelle was the infiltrator!

Emmara's eyes popped open as a current of anger flooded her system. That monster! She was able to escape suspicion by simple following the frightened guests out of the ballroom, and then probably made her way to regroup with her little terrorist friends.

"That conniving little…" She spoke aloud, startling Obi-wan out of his meditative state.

When he saw the anger written clearly across her face he had to ask what was wrong.

"One of the Guardians, they helped initiate the attack at the palace." She informed him, "If she is still in the palace they could be in grave danger."

The information upset Obi-wan simply because of the anger that was rolling off of her in waves.

"You need to calm yourself." He warned, "Anger can only lead to irrational actions."

"We have to find her Master Kenobi!" She cried, "She has already killed so many…"

Obi-wan did not know what convinced him to do so, but he found himself kneeling before Emmara with his hands on her shoulders in a comforting manner. He sent her waves of peace through the force, and he immediately felt the anger begin to subside within her. Her eyes fluttered closed as she let the feelings wash over her.

When she opened her eyes she found herself staring into Obi-wan's blue orbs.

She flushed a deep scarlet at her previous actions.

"Thank you." She said, "How did you do that?"

"That is a strength you will acquire later."

…

_At the Med Center in central Coruscant. _

The hooded figure glided carefully through the darkened hallways of the abandoned Med Center.

It was late into the night at a time when most of the nurses and doctors were either sleeping in the locker rooms, or had retired to their homes for the evenings. The mysterious individual had been scouting the hospital for over a week, searching for the best times to infiltrate. Majorly it was when the chaotic mess, which was the hospital, died down. They also watched for the easiest exit strategies that would give them a better chance to escape unnoticed. It had taken almost a week to arrange the patient getaway, and now it was go time. It would only be a few more days until the wounded men were transferred into the hands of the authorities and that could not be allowed to happen.

The character needed Duras Midfell and Falon Jarem if they ever wanted to get off this godforsaken planet. It was never a part of the plan that the figure would be here, but when the Guardians had followed them to the hanger they had been trapped in the ship. They would find out exactly what this person was capable of, and just who they worked for. It would have been a disaster. The entire operation would have been blown.

Shifting the bag they had brought over their shoulder, the figure continued to walk confidently through the hallways completely aware of their surroundings and their destination.

It took only a few minutes to reach the joined rooms they were searching for. The person was hardly surprised to see that there was a security guard standing outside of the room, and so before he could call for backup the hooded figure knocked him unconscious and carefully guided his body to the floor. After he was taken care of they grabbed the set of keys off of his belt and proceeded to open the door. In the first room the man was unconscious with his leg in a cast and elevated. The individual sighed; this was definitely going to be tricky to get them out of the Med Center quickly. Both of the men had been shot in the leg, down to the very same spot right below the right knee cap. High enough to cause immense pain, but low enough to have missed the knee cap by a millimeter. The bullet would have shattered the bone making recovery two times as long.

Pressing at his shoulder to rouse him the hooded figure stood over the unconscious man's bed. It took a few tries, but he soon opened his eyes to the dark room and found the hooded man standing over him. He jumped, clearly startled by the stranger who had come into his room. The person laughed and had a high feminine voice. When the figure pulled her hood down the recently awakened man sighed in relief. It was only one of his partners, the one that had been able to escape from the authorities. She laughed at his obvious frightened expression before helping him to pull his leg out of the prop that was holding it up.

"We need to get out of here fast," She told him, grabbing his arm and pulling it over her shoulder to support him as he stood up. The man, Duras Midfell, struggled to stand on his own two feet. He pointed to the set of crutches the hospital had given him and the woman retrieved them so that he could stand on his own.

The woman left him standing in the middle of the room and crossed through the doorway to get their second comrade, Falon Jarem. She attempted to wake him, but he would not rouse. She tried for a few minutes before returning to where she had left Duras standing in the middle of the room in a hospital gown. She opened the bag she had dropped on the ground and threw him a pair of trousers and a shirt,

"Put those on." She commanded, "I am going to try and wake him up one more time."

She returned to find that Falon's eyes were completely open, and she grinned at the look of recognition he had when he saw her. She had always had a thing for Falon, and he knew it. So with a rapidly beating heart she handed him the pair of clothes that she had brought for him.

"Hurry and change. We need to get you guys out of here before they hand you over to the authorities." Falon nodded, carefully lifting his injured leg up and over the side of the bed. His wound was healing quickly, and he found that he could stand, albeit a little unsteady, for longer than a few seconds. Pleased that he was in better shape than Duras, the woman smiled and turned to give him privacy while he changed out of his hospital gown. She heard the ruffling of clothes as he changed and was tempted to take a peek. She turned right as he had pulled on the pants and was buttoning them, but his torso was completely bare.

She knew that she was staring, but she couldn't help it.

"No wonder Emmara was so distracted," She teased, "You are delicious."

…


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six:**

The mood that had permeated their apartment was tense with apprehension over breakfast the next morning.

Emmara was reciting what she had remembered during her meditation training with Obi-wan. She recounted seeing Avelle with both of the terrorist men they had followed here, only a week before the bombing. That could not be a coincidence. It hardly took any convincing to persuade Jade that Avelle was the spy in the palace; they had never gotten along. Jade stood with her arms folded a few feet away from where Emmara stood. It was written clearly across her face that she was beyond angry, she was livid.

"We need to talk to those men that are responsible. We need to make sure that it was Avelle, and we need to find out what they are planning." Briam, who had been seated on the couch during the whole conversation, finally spoke up. Emmara nodded in agreement.

"We also need to find a way to get back home…" Marcus interjected, and Jade nodded in accordance. "Our whole plan is futile if we can't warn the queen in time." Emmara turned her head to look at Marcus. She suddenly felt a strange sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, like something wasn't all that it seemed. Something about Marcus was suspicious, but Emmara just couldn't put a finger on it.

"Jade, can you ask for a conference with the Jedi Council?" Emmara asked, her mind working quickly as she pushed away her thoughts of Marcus. Jade shook her head.

"I don't think that is a good idea, Mara." She responded and Emmara bit her lip.

"I propose that we go out and find them ourselves." Marcus thought aloud, and Jade's eyes lit up at the idea and Emmara immediately shook her head in refusal.

"Where do you suppose we start?" She rebutted, "We don't know the first thing about this planet; we have no idea as to where to even begin searching."

"I am sure we could find our way to the local authorities, Mara." Jade tried to persuade her doubting companion with a smirk, "Or even the closest hospital. I did shoot them they must have needed medical help."

"What do you plan to do once we find them?" She started, "We can't exactly take them into custody."

"We don't need to arrest them, only get information out of them."

"I have been trained in interrogation procedure." Briam informed them, and Emmara knew that she was over ruled. They all wanted answers and they were unwilling to wait.

Emmara rolled her eyes and gave a sigh of defeat. Jade clapped her hands and gave a cry of approval. She held her hands out to stop anyone from leaving,

"Wait. We need to discuss a plan. We can't just go out there without a steady head on our shoulders; that is far too dangerous. I will not have anyone getting hurt." The corners of Jade's mouth slowly upturned into a delightful smirk.

"I suggest we start by scouting out the hospital, and if they have nothing we go to the police station." Jade suggested,

"How are we going to get them to tell us what they know?" She kept looking for ways to deter their plans, make them see the folly in it.

"Tell them we are family members looking for them." Marcus supplied and the group gave a simultaneous sound of approval.

Emmara was extremely relieved when a message arrived saying that their presence was requested at the Council at 0900 hours.

Jade turned to the group.

"How could they have possibly known?" Jade speculated, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Have we both met the same Master Yoda?" Emmara said sarcastically, "He would know it if we put our shoes on backwards halfway across the planet…"

They all laughed and their quest to find the assassin's put on the back burner until they discovered what the council wanted.

At approximately twenty minutes before they prepared to leave Obi-wan and Anakin showed up at their door to walk with them, as they had been called before the council as well. So they all made the journey together. They dropped Halley off at her daily classes with the other Jedi trainees, and before they knew it they were standing in the familiar Council room facing the jury of Jedi. Although this was the first time that Emmara had actually stood in the room, and was flabbergasted by the view overlooking the city of Coruscant. She stood between Jade and Marcus, ready to hear whatever the council had to say. She knew Master Windu before today, and Jade had told her about Master Yoda.

"A great disturbance, your assassin's have made." Yoda informed them, "Escaped from custody, they have."

Emmara's brow furrowed. His words confused her at first, but after she replayed them in her mind a few times she understood.

"They should be considered dangerous." She told the council, "They are terrorists and have killed a lot of our people."

Yoda nodded, already knowing the danger she spoke of.

"An investigation, launching, we are." He told them seriously, "Find them quickly, we must."

Emmara found it interesting that this was happening as she thought about earlier and their decision to go seek their enemies out. It made more sense to have approval from the council, and Emmara was much more at ease with the idea.

"Can we help?" Jade interjected, "We know them; we have been hunting down their rebel group for years." Not to mention that she had been nipping at the heels wanting to go out and hunt the bastards down alone.

Yoda and the council gave a vote of approval.

"Assist Master Kenobi and Padawan Skywalker, you shall." The little green alien said, "Only two can go, having such a large crowd, attract unwanted attention that will." The group nodded, looking amongst each other for volunteers.

"I would go, but I am worse than useless with this leg." Emmara stated, looking to Briam and Jade.

"I will go." Jade volunteered, and just as Briam was about to step forward Marcus beat him to it.

"So will I." He said, and the council all agreed.

"Then, decided, it is." Master Yoda said, "Master Kenobi and his padawan, convene with them, you shall."

They all bowed graciously to the council before filing out of the room.

Jade and Marcus immediately rushed over to where Obi-wan and Anakin were waiting, and the rest of the group followed. Once they approached Obi-wan he spoke.

"We are going to start the investigation immediately." He told them, looking over the group. "Who is joining us?"

Jade and Marcus stepped forward, and Obi-wan nodded.

"We will brief you on the way. Meet us at the landing pad in twenty." With that said Obi-wan and Anakin left to prepare for the investigation.

Emmara and Briam followed them to the landing pads to see them off. Anakin was already waiting in a transport, while Obi-wan was going over a device in his hand. Emmara gave Jade a quick hug, and kissed her two fingers and lifted them up in a parting gesture of good luck. Jade did the same, before she went to Briam and she was engulfed in a tight hug. Emmara turned to Marcus and gave him the same parting gesture, and wished him well.

Emmara then turned to watch Jade and Briam for a moment. They whispered to each other, and just as Jade was about to let go Briam lifted his two fingers to his lips in what Emmara figured would be the same gesture of good will. When Briam placed his two fingers against his chest and then over Jade's heart, Emmara blushed and turned away. She felt guilty for intruding upon such an intimate moment between her friends. She knew that she had left them alone for quality time last night, but she would have never guessed that their relationship would advance so quickly. They had only known each other for two weeks.

Obi-wan noticed the gesture and Emmara's reaction and made a mental note to ask about it later.

A few moments later they were off. Leaving Emmara and Briam to watch as the speeder disappeared into the ever bustling sky ways of Coruscant. Once they were out of sight she turned to Briam with a grimace on her face.

"Now what are we to do with ourselves?" She speculated, "I won't be able to just sit around and wait for them to come back." She muttered, "That will kill me."

Briam gave a sigh in accordance with her statement.

"We still have a lesson with Master Yoda today," He told her, "That should keep our minds occupied for a little while."

Emmara nodded.

"Not as long as I would like, I'm sure." She folded her arms and turned in sync with Briam as they began their walk back into the temple.

"I have a feeling that woman is going to be the death of me." Briam declared with a smiled of adoration. Emmara laughed and bobbed her head before clasping his shoulder.

"Oh, it's just started for you my friend." She teased, and Briam laughed. If anyone knew Jade inside and out it was Emmara, and so he trusted her judgment on the matter.

Together Briam and Emmara walked through the twisting corridors of the Temple until they found their way to the training rooms. Most of them were occupied with Jedi Padawan's, and a few groups of small children gathered around a Jedi Master. So they found an abandoned room off in the corner so that they could sit and meditate for the time being, until they had to meet with Yoda for their instructions.

Emmara immediately sat herself on the floor in the corner of the room. Instead of meditating Briam decided to work on the fighting techniques Anakin had shown them yesterday.

As soon as she was settled safely in the corner of the room and out of the way Emmara sunk into the position that Obi-wan had shown her; with her uninjured leg crossed, hands resting on her knees, and her back straight. Taking a deep breath, Emmara let her eyes drift closed and she let her mind empty of everything surrounding her.

She concentrated on her breaths; in and out, in and out.

Her mind immediately filled with images.

Her mind filled with darkness, and when she breathed in she could smell something metallic with a hint of a smothered fire. It made her eyes water, and she felt the need to gag but refrained. Images flashed; Briam and Jade fighting unknown enemies while Marcus was standing off to the side amidst billowing black smoke. She watched as a blurred figure lunged for Jade, but in the last second Briam pushed her away. A loud cry pierced her ears and she cringed at the pain it reflected. Everything turned an awful scarlet color as Briam fell to the ground. Her point of view turned to Marcus, and he was laughing with a malicious gleam in his eye. There was so much blood…

Emmara's eyes popped open as the images faded and her mind went black.

She was breathing exceptionally hard, and she looked up to search for Briam. She found him practicing right where he had been ten minutes ago. He was fine; there was no blood.

The confusion began to set in. What had she seen? She was awake; it couldn't have been a vision. She prayed to Valor that it wasn't a vision. She had, had visions before that plagued her sleep but most of them never came to pass. The occasional few had become reality, but that was only one or two out of hundreds. Besides that she never had them while she was awake and aware.

Emmara began to breathe slowly to regulate the harsh beating of her heart.

She looked up at Briam once more and her heart filled with a terrible sense of dread.

Her only thought was that she needed to get out of here. She needed to go get some fresh air and try to sort through what she had seen. The thought popped into her head that she should attempt to meditate again, but she did not want to relive that horrible nightmare.

So she fled. With a quick goodbye to Briam, she escaped from the training room and made her way toward the outdoors. It was more difficult than she imagined trying to navigate the vast hallways of the Jedi Temple, and the more she wandered the more lost she became. After the third set of stairs (which was no easy feat due to the injured leg) Emmara had a strange feeling that she was going much farther down than she had anticipated, although she wasn't aware that there were any floors below the main floor. Curiosity got the best of her, and she continued onward as she tried to keep her mind cleared of anything that would remind her of her recent vision.

Looking down an empty corridor, Emmara decided to see what was behind the only door on the level.

What she found inside astounded her.

Once she stepped through the door there was grass under her shoes, and about one hundred feet ahead of her there was a beach. Waves from the beautiful green lake were lapping against the sand in a peaceful rhythm. Emmara closed her eyes and let it wash over her for a brief moment. She looked around, surprised to find that she was the only occupant. If she had known this was here, she would be here all the time.

She found a bench off to her right and sat down to remove her shoes and roll her pants up to her knees. She also had to remove the brace that encased her leg, but did so gladly.

She felt ready to cry when she stepped onto the beach and felt the sand squish between her toes. If she closed her eyes she could picture the cottage house on the beach from her childhood. She could almost smell the fragrance of the lilies that her mother grew in the yard. With a wide smile she hurried towards the water, wobbling as fast as she could to its edge.

Her feet sunk delightfully into the damp sand as the water licked the tops of her feet.

Warmth radiated inside of her. This was what she needed after such a horrible foresight. She took a deep breath.

She would still have to think it through and try to understand what she had seen, but not right now.

With no thought to her pants getting wet Emmara sank down into the sand and let the water wash over her, much like she used to do when she was young.

Lying on her back Emmara let her eyes close peacefully.

"Emmara."

She hadn't even realized that she had fallen asleep until she was jolted awake by someone calling her name and shaking her softly.

When she opened her eyes she found herself staring up into the dark blue eyes of Anakin.

"Sorry. I must've fallen asleep." She muttered, sitting up and wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"Do you always fall asleep half submerged in water?" He asked, finding it rather peculiar. Emmara laughed.

"When I was little it was my favorite thing in the entire world." She told him, although he refused to look at her. "The only thing that is missing is the warmth of the sun."

He nodded, keeping his attention toward the lake. She had a feeling that Anakin was bothered by her presence, and she was unsure of what she had done to deserve his cold demeanor.

"Sit with me." She said patting the sand next to her. With hesitancy in his face, Anakin got down and sat next to Emmara. He was trying to keep from getting wet, but was failing miserably.

"I have a feeling that you don't like me very much." She stated, and watched in amusement when Anakin tried to deny it. "No need to deny it, just help me fix it."

Anakin scoffed, and Emmara frowned.

"That bad, huh?" She said sadly, "Well I am sorry for it either way."

There was a small silence.

"When I was sent to the Palace to train as a Guardian I was much older than normal beginners, but I moved up the ranks rather quickly." She said, deciding to try and talk to him even though he wasn't fond of her presence. He seemed intrigued by her words, and looked at her in disbelief. She nodded,

"All of the girls picked on me, and I was so shy that I just took it and tried to ignore them." She told him, "At night in my room I would cry because I didn't understand why the girls didn't like me. I hadn't done anything." She sighed, "I hated it."

Anakin listened to her speaking, realizing for the first time that they weren't that different.

"Then a very good friend of mine told me that they were just jealous because what they had worked so hard to accomplish in years, I had done in weeks." She explained, "They were mad because I was too good at everything."

"So what did you do?" He wondered, and Emmara smiled.

"I proved them right." She said with a laugh, "I made sure to excel in my training, because what they thought of me did not matter. Slowly, and by slowly I mean years later, they began to accept me. Jade was my only friend for years."

Anakin nodded, understanding exactly what she had gone through.

"I was nine when I came to the Jedi to be trained. Most are either newborns or very young." Anakin told her, and she smiled when she discovered that they had something in common. "They never accept children over the age of three or four, but they accepted me."

"It's hard being the late comer, isn't it?" Emmara commiserated, and Anakin sighed loudly.

"I don't have friends here." Anakin admitted, "Everyone here is intimated by my talent."

Emmara noticed the bitterness behind his words and nodded.

"It is their loss." She encouraged, and Anakin nodded. He looked at Emmara from the corner of his eye, trying to decipher why she was so intent on being his friend. Slowly, he realized that his initial opinion of Emmara might have been a misjudgment. He had assumed that she was arrogant and ungrateful, but now he realized that she was just shy and perhaps a little intimidated by the Order.

"I'm sorry that I haven't been very friendly towards you." He admitted, and Emmara shrugged.

"It's alright. You don't have to like me." She told him, and Anakin shook his head.

"No, it was wrong of me to judge you so quickly."

Anakin was not used to apologizing, at least not to someone that was not Obi-wan. He apologized to Obi-wan daily for his mishaps.

"Well I accept your apology, Master Skywalker." She told him with a grin, and Anakin couldn't help but beam at the title she used. "Now tell me," She looked at Anakin seriously, "Does anyone ever jump off of those cliffs into the lake?" She pointed over to where there were tall cliffs over the water that were only about ten to fifteen feet high.

Anakin shrugged.

"I'm sure, but I've never personally done so." Emmara was astonished.

"You have never cliff jumped before?" Anakin shook his head, Emmara's mouth fell open.

"You are missing out." She told him, "Back home in the city I was raised in we had fifty foot cliffs overlooking the lake, and every summer that was my ALL time favorite things to do. Against every rule in the book, but so fun."

"It sounds fun." Anakin admitted, and Emmara bobbed her head enthusiastically.

"Once this stupid leg heals, Anakin, you and me must come back here and jump." She was not joking, she was looking straight into his eyes in all seriousness. "At least once."

Anakin nodded. He was never against something new and excited.

"Sounds like a plan." He told her with a friendly smile. Emmara grinned. She felt much better knowing that Anakin, although they weren't the best of friends, at least he would talk to her now.

A loud beep broke the silence between them and Anakin pulled a communicator out of his robes and told whoever was on the other end that he had found her in the Lake Level of the temple. After there was confirmation on the other end, Anakin replaced the gadget on his belt.

"Master Obi-wan will be here shortly." Emmara nodded, and watched as Anakin stood and brushed the sand off of his robes.

She didn't bother moving, but instead sat and dipped her fingers into the damp sand. It was rather relaxing, but she soon found her mind plagued with the images from her earlier dream. Her mind finally reminded her that if Anakin was here, Jade and Marcus would be back as well. How long had she been here? Emmara turned and began the attempt to get to her feet. Anakin helped her up and she stood and when she attempted to put weight on her healing leg, almost fell over.

"That's what I get for taking the brace off." She muttered, balancing all of her weight on her left leg. Without a word Anakin lifted her arm over his shoulder, and helped her limp across the sand. She smiled appreciatively up at him.

Obi-wan appeared through the doorway after a few minutes, and when he caught sight of Emmara he did not look amused.

"You have your friends in an uproar." He called to her, and Emmara gave a apologetic smile. "They have been looking for you for hours."

She grimaced.

"Sorry, I fell asleep." Obi-wan noticed that she was dripping wet.

"In the water?" Emmara nodded with a grin.

"It's the best spot." She explained, "You get the best of both worlds." Obi-wan and Anakin laughed, and Emmara followed suit. She took it as a good sign that they were in a relatively good mood.

"What time is it?"

"A little past six." She gasped at his answer.

"Honestly?" She cried, "I slept for over six hours?"

Obi-wan nodded.

"You have everyone worried sick." He told her, "They know where you are now, but I am sure that Halley has been beside herself."

Emmara apologized again, but really only wanted to know how the search had gone. She was fine, there was no need to hurry back.

"Did everything go okay?" Obi-wan's face fell.

"Our efforts were fruitless." He told her honestly, "We will go out again tomorrow. I promise that we will find them."

Emmara was disappointed with the news, but nodded her head.

"Is every one alright?" She knew that her anxiety was obvious in the tone of her words. Her suspicions were confirmed when Obi-wan gave her a skeptical look.

Emmara sat down on the stone bench, and Obi-wan bent down to hand the only shoes in sight to her. She tried to think of a way to tell him what had happened earlier but she didn't know if visions were a normal occurrence here. So she was afraid that he would think she was crazy.

She paused and looked up at Obi-wan before she put one shoe on.

"I was meditating earlier…" She hesitated, "I saw Briam die."

Obi-wan froze, completely thrown off guard by the news. He nodded taking a seat beside her and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Did you tell Master Yoda?" He wondered, and Emmara shook her head.

"Should I have?" She asked, and Obi-wan shrugged.

"If it was troubling." She heard the question in his voice. She didn't have to answer when he saw the tears in her eyes. "Tell me about it."

"Before I saw anything I could smell it. There was a hint of smoke, but mostly it was a metallic mineral smell that hit me the worst." Obi-wan listened attentively as she continued, "Jade and Briam were fighting someone, but the figure was blurry I couldn't make out a face. Marcus was there, but he was standing far off in a cloud of black smoke. Everything turned red, and then Briam threw Jade out of the way as their opponent lunged forward, and he was stabbed. Jade was crying hysterically, and Marcus was laughing." She recalled, "It was the most disturbing laugh I have ever heard."

She shivered when the sound replayed in her ears.

Obi-wan considered what she had told him.

"Do you suppose Marcus is responsible for Briam's death?" He posed the question, and Emmara's initial reaction was a resounding no. He was a soldier that had served with Briam for years. He couldn't possibly be responsible, but something in the back of her mind told her to be mindful of Marcus. Something obviously wasn't what it seemed.

"I don't think so," She said slowly, "But something inside of me is telling me to be cautious around him."

Obi-wan nodded.

"Be ever mindful of what the force tells you, Emmara." He advised, and she agreed. "It is the best gauge of truth."

"I will." She told him, "Although I hope it turns into nothing. I have had dreams before, and most of them never come true." She informed them, hoping to hear that maybe she didn't need to worry. Maybe it was all just a figment of her imagination.

"But some do?" Anakin inquired out of the blue, truly curious to hear her answer. Emmara nodded.

"Only two have actually happened, but I have had over twenty of them all together." She told him.

"How do you know the difference between a dream and a vision?" She did not know why he was so curious, but she divulged the answer anyway.

"When they are visions I am never there, I am just watching something happen from an unknown view point. If it is my dream I am usually have a role to play in them either as myself or someone else." She told him, "But sometimes that isn't accurate."

Anakin nodded in understanding. He fell quiet and Emmara could tell that he was thinking about something important. Before long he turned and walked away leaving the two of them along.

A silence fell between them as Emmara bent over to put her shoes on.

"I had a question, Emmara." Obi-wan told her, and she told him to shoot. Upon his confused look she explained to him that he should just ask her. He nodded in understanding. "You did a gesture when you came to see us off this morning." Emmara recalled the gesture before he had finished. "What does it mean?" Obi-wan asked, and Emmara did it again. He nodded, and imitated what he had earlier witnessed between the Eonian friends on the landing pad. He placed two fingers against his lips and then lifted them forward into the air.

Emmara smiled.

"It is a farewell meant to wish your friends good tidings until you meet again." She explained, looking out over the lake. She found that she was still mesmerized by its presence in the temple. She was broken from her reverie when Obi-wan spoke again.

"What about the other one?" He wondered, and he made the same gesture but instead of lifting his fingers forward he pressed them against his heart but skipped the part where he should have placed them over Emmara's heart.

Emmara's face flushed a brilliant color of cherry and turned away from Obi-wan.

"It's not offensive is it?" Obi-wan panicked, worried that he had offended her in some way.

Emmara shook her head.

"No, it is an intimate gesture shared between lovers."

Obi-wan felt his own face heat up at his blunder.

"In words it translates 'My soul, my heart abide in thee always'. It is a part of our marriage rituals in Eonia." She explained, trying her best to fight away the blush that would not leave her face. "It is our more intimate way of saying 'I love you'."

Obi-wan rubbed the back of his neck, still reeling over what he had just done without thinking. He should have shown more caution.

"Where thy heart goes, mine own will assuredly follow. And when that last slumber claims thy body, my soul will come unto thee and we shall rest together for eternity." She quoted the ritual fondly, recalling the last bonding ceremony she had attended two years ago. "I have always loved attending weddings," She confessed to him, "Although I have only been to a two, both of which were family members."

She sighed at the thought of her family. They were not close, due to unfortunate circumstances, but she found that she still thought of them often and whenever she did so, more often than not, guilt sweeps over her. She knew that what had happened was not her fault, but it was still hard to convince herself of the fact when everyone blamed her.

Obi-wan noticed her sudden change in demeanor.

"You miss your family?" He asked, and Emmara shrugged.

"Sometimes." She told him, "But our parting was not pleasant. Most of them still blame me for what happened." Inside of herself Emmara cursed at her slip of words. She tried to avoid talking about her family because it always brought out the emotional side of her, and she hated crying. She has always been an emotional person, but crying always drove her crazy. Whenever she started to cry, even if it is only a few tears, her eyes turned bright red and her skin became all blotchy and ugly. It was not attractive.

"How many siblings do you have?" Obi-wan asked, realizing that it probably wasn't his place to ask but he wanted to know her. He found it strange that whenever Emmara was around he wanted to talk to her, and get to know her.

"I am the youngest of ten." Obi-wan's jaw dropped. Emmara laughed at his obvious shock. "I have six sisters and three brothers."

"That is a lot of family." Obi-wan noted, still astounded by the information.

"It is." She agreed, "I am almost positive that we were the largest family in the country." She joked, but she knew that there weren't many with numbers so large.

"Your parents must be exhausted." Obi-wan said, but at the mention of her parents Emmara's smiled fell from her face. Almost as if Obi-wan had thrown cold water at her. He sensed a deep feeling of sorrow, and an enormous amount of guilt? He also felt an enormous need for closure. It made him curious, but he wouldn't ask. If she wanted to tell him, she would.

"They both passed away when I was young." She clarified, and Obi-wan offered his condolences. Emmara shook it off. "Let's talk about something else," She suggested, "When I talk about my parents I get all angry and overly emotional."

That is why I never talk about them. Not even Jade knows what happened to her family, and why she never goes home to visit when she has vacation time. It was just not a subject Emmara was comfortable sharing.

Obi-wan acquiesced to her request, nodding quietly.

"What about you?" She asked, "Do you ever get to see your family?"

Obi-wan shook his head.

"The Code forbids attachment, and that is why we are brought to the temple so young." He explained, "The only memories I have of my family are of me playing with my brother Owen when I was very young."

To Emmara that seemed sad. Her family was hardly perfect, but if she wanted to she could go and visit. It seemed so lonely.

"It isn't so bad," Obi-wan told her, "The Jedi Order is my family. Anakin is like a brother to me."

Emmara hadn't realized that she was so easy to read, and felt bad for thinking such things.

"I don't mean offend you," She told Obi-wan, "The Jedi are just so different from what I know."

Obi-wan nodded.

"That is why most of us are brought here as younglings. It is too hard to forget those you have familial attachments with." Obi-wan said, "Anakin misses his mother terribly."

Emmara knew that Anakin had come later, and hadn't realized how much harder it must have been for him to transition. He had to let go of everyone he loved. Her heart almost broke for the poor boy.

"I can imagine." She said, "I miss my mother very much."

A comfortable silence fell between the two until Obi-wan rose to his feet and turned to Emmara.

"Well, we should get you back to Jade and the others before they tear the temple apart searching for you."


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven:**

It was almost three weeks ago that the assassin's escaped from the custody of the Coruscant authorities. They had discovered that they had outside help, but who was still a mystery. They had followed all possible leads on the matter, but to no avail. They had not found them, and due to the time that has passed the council feared that they would never find them. The undercity of Coruscant was full, for the most part, of thieves and low lives, and if that is where they had fled it would be nearly impossible to track them. It was all really quite frustrating for them.

Emmara especially felt that she had failed. She had promised that queen that she would bring them to justice, and so she swore that she wouldn't give up on the search. Something inside of her was telling her to be patient. That the right time would come and everything would come together it was just a matter of patience on her part. Something that Emmara did not boast about having.

So almost a month after they had crashed into the city of Coruscant they had begun to focus their efforts more on finding a way home. So far they had made no substantial discoveries to guide them there. For right now Emmara found herself staring into a star map in a spacious darkened room of the temple.

She was standing between Briam and Master Windu, and a man dressed in traditional Jedi garb stood before them and addressed them.

"Around the time that the 'Wanderer' crashed down in Coruscant a strange anomaly had been reported in the region." He said in a monotone voice, using a pointer laser to indicate the area affected. "There was a sudden shift in molecular particles that occurred only moments after their appearance in our galaxy."

"Why were we not informed sooner?" Master Windu asked, "If this anomaly is connected to their appearance it would have been imperative information."

"When first discovered it had been pushed aside without much thought, considering that its affects were hardly suspicious." He told them, "Shifts happen often enough that this did not appear out of the ordinary."

Emmara put her hands on her hips. "Then why bring it up now?" She said aloud, unable to stop herself.

"Now we know that more than just a shift occurred, Miss Niada." The man told her, "The black hole that you had informed the council of did indeed cause the shift, but in its wake it also left a large pull in gravitation."

"That doesn't make sense." She said, "Gravitational pull has to be drawn towards something."

"Exactly." He said, "It appears that, although non operational, this area is destined to see another black hole, but when we are not sure."

"So you are saying that if this black hold does, in fact, reappear we will be able to make it home?" Briam added, hoping upon all hope that he had understood the man correctly.

"Not exactly." Briam's spirits fell immediately. "We can never be sure if the black hole will transport you to the exact same coordinates as before. That is the tricky thing about worm holes; we have no way to study them due to their constant varying functions."

"So if we did travel through that same spot we couldn't know if we would be going in the same direction, or thrown into a completely opposite direction." Jade supplied, feeling the last tendril of hope die within her chest. They had been working so hard towards finding any possible way home. Now the likelihood of them ever returning was growing dim.

"Yes." The man said.

They could all feel the despair flood the room.

The lights flipped on as the stars were suddenly sucked back into the little orb that was in fact a map.

All of the Eonian's turned to look at each other. Halley who had been standing in front of Emmara gave her a small encouraging smile, and it was gladly returned. Jade was standing on the other side of Briam and their hands were entwined lovingly. Marcus stood a little ways away, although he watched them closely. Emmara took a deep breath and wrapped an arm around Briam's waist and gave him a comforting squeeze.

"At least we have each other, right?" She asked in an attempt to lighten their moods. They all came together and embraced.

Due to all of the time they spent together they had all bonded and become the closest of friends. Over the past month they had all grown extremely close, and had become a tightly knit group. Briam and Jade had begun their relationship almost three weeks ago, and it was still thriving as it was in its earliest stages. Emmara considered Briam an older brother, although Marcus continued to alienate himself from the group.

She found it considerably strange that he was not eager to embrace their friendship, but did not bother him about it. It had been hard enough to treat him without suspicion after all of the visions she was having concerning him and Briam's death. She tried to ignore the times that he would disappear for hours at a time, and come back without saying a word. Soon she knew that she would have to confront him about it and ask where he went, but she never could find a way to do it without seeming accusatory.

Emmara turned to face Master Windu.

"What will the council do with us now?" Emmara knew that the council had fully expected them to find a way back to their home planet, and so had gone forward in their training with the Jedi. Now that, that was vastly becoming an enormous impossibility she wondered if they would let them continue training. It was likely that they would not be allowed to become fully fledged Jedi, due to their age.

"I will inform the council of this information, and we will discuss this discovery at length." He told them, "On behalf of the council I offer my condolences, but we will not give up hope." With those last words, Master Windu disappeared from view and left the group to themselves.

"Let's go back to the apartment." Briam offered, and they all agreed.

They all sat together in the sitting area of their shared quarters. Briam and Jade were nestled comfortably on the couch, Emmara was lying sprawled out across the floor at their feet with Halley lying sideways with her head on Emmara's stomach. She was stroking the young girl's hair comfortingly as they all discussed the situation.

"What will we do if the Jedi decide to make us leave?" Jade voiced her concern, "Where will we go?"

Emmara thought her words over.

The past month had been amazing. Being able to train alongside such an amazing group of people, and learn all about them had been a dream come true. She had made friends among the Jedi. Obi-wan Kenobi at the top of her list of those friends, although with time she realized that she wanted to consider him more than that. Over the past month they had been spending more time together, and Emmara found that he was one of the sweetest most compassionate men she had ever met. In the rare moments that they spent alone together Emmara found herself fumbling over her words like a lovesick teenager. Now, with the possibility that they would be leaving it made her insides clench with an unfamiliar ache. Almost like the one she felt when she thought of home.

"We can learn to adapt, Jay." She said finally, "I'm sure the Order won't throw us out on our backsides without some sort of solid ground beneath our feet."

"Or asses." Jade added, and the group laughed heartily for a few minutes.

It fell silent.

"There is still the problem of Jarem and the others who are still on the loose." Marcus mentioned, and Emmara's eyes narrowed and something in the pit of her stomach felt sick. Marcus was hiding something, and Emmara knew it. Whenever he talked about finding the assassin's it almost seemed like he was less than sincere.

"We won't stop looking for them." Jade said, "They have to be on this planet somewhere."

Emmara agreed with Jade.

Another silence permeated the room.

"I'm hungry." Halley spoke up. Emmara lifted her head to look down at Halley with a smile.

"I could go for something sweet." She said, "I'll take you."

Halley scrambled to her feet and helped Emmara get up from the floor. Emmara's knee and leg had healed over completely; although she still kind of had a limp when she walked it was otherwise completely better. She had been working on retraining her muscles how to fight. She had also begun to dance again, and the work was slow but it was moving along. She could now perform a double fouette without falling to the floor in pain afterwards. Overall she was rather pleased with the progress she had made with her leg. It wasn't perfect, but it was getting closer each day.

Halley grew impatient and grabbed Emmara's hand and pulled her out the door.

Emmara laughed heartily as she tried to slow the determined girl down.

"Slow down, Halley." She said with a laugh, "The food will be there even if we don't run."

Halley's big brown eyes looked up pleadingly to Emmara, and suddenly Emmara knew that Halley had an ulterior motive behind wanting to go to the cafeteria. She scrutinized the young girl closely.

"What are you not telling me, Hal?" She asked, and Halley tried to shrug nonchalantly. Emmara was not convinced.

"I'm meeting some friends." Halley admitted, but was still reluctant to meet Emmara's eyes.

Emmara knew that Halley had made an assortment of close friends during her stay at the temple. Due to her young age Halley had been permitted to train alongside the other younglings, attending classes and training with Master Yoda. If the Jedi were going to accept anyone into their ranks of the group Emmara was positive it would be Halley.

Emmara stopped in her place in the middle of the corridor.

She refused to budge until Halley told her exactly what was going on.

Halley pulled on her arm, but to no avail.

"Just tell me, Halley." She advised, "I could stand here all day."

Halley stomped her foot in frustration. Even through all of her Jedi training she still had the fiery temper associated with red heads. She crossed her eyes and looked around, and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Emmara finally realized what this whole thing was about. There must be a boy involved.

"Are you going to meet a boy?" She prodded the young girl, eyeing her carefully. Halley's eyes widened, and her cheeks flared red again. Emmara laughed out loud. "Halley!" She cried, "You have a crush on a boy." She quieted her voice at the last words, knowing that it was against the rules of the Jedi to form attachments. A fact that Emmara thought about every day…

"No, I'm meeting a group of friends…" She corrected Emmara, "There just happens to be a special friend in the group…"

Emmara could not stop smiling as she nudged Halley playfully.

"Look at you." She teased, "Growing up so fast…"

Emmara looked over the nine year old girl lovingly. She was very small for her age, short and very thin. Her big personality made up for her lack of height though, she was so sweet. Any boy would be lucky to have her. The strawberry blonde girl smiled widely at Emmara before giving her a tight hug.

"So tell me about this boy." Halley giggled.

"His name is Kael Blackmoor." She told Emmara, smiling widely. "He's really cute, and funny."

"Do I get to meet him? Or will that be too embarrassing?" Halley's face turned serious as she looked up at her older friend. Emmara knew immediately that the answer was a negative. She laughed.

"It's alright, but I do expect to meet him some day." Halley nodded, and they continued on their way to the cafeteria.

Emmara allowed Halley to run off to meet her friends once they reached the cafeteria. Now she needed to hunt down something sweet, which she knew was going to probably be found on the other side of the dining hall. She shuffled her way around a group of young Jedi, and made her way towards the desert table when Anakin caught her eye. She looked around him, but did not spot Obi-wan so she decided against going over. Their relationship had been easier ever since the night at the lake, but it still could hardly be considered friendship. They were two very different people, and as hard as Emmara tried sometimes Anakin's arrogance drove her insane. She wanted to flick him in the face and tell him that he was not all powerful.

With a sad sigh Emmara neared her reason for coming to the cafeteria in the first place.

She looked over all of the options carefully.

"What a difficult decision to make." She smiled to herself when she heard Obi-wan's voice beside her.

"It really is." She played along, "I have so much to take into consideration. Do I want chocolate, or something fruity?"

Obi-wan laughed.

"Let me see if I can help." He put a hand up to his chin thoughtfully, "You can never go wrong with chocolate covered strawberries." He pointed to the desert, and Emmara considered it. "You get both that way."

"That is a lovely suggestion, Obi-wan." She told him and reached forward to grab a single strawberry and a napkin to place it on. "Sit with me?" The question was simple, and Obi-wan agreed and followed her to a deserted table and took a seat.

"How is your day so far, Emmara?" He questioned, watching as she twisted the green stem from the strawberry carefully. Emmara shrugged, and Obi-wan knew immediately that something was bothering her. Whenever he asked her how she was she always replied joyfully and without hesitation. "Tell me about it." He urged, and Emmara looked up from her strawberry.

"Well, we probably are never going to find a way home." She stated, "Now I'm worried that the Council will oust us from the temple, and we have no idea where to go."

Obi-wan was not expecting the answer he received.

"The Order won't send you away." He told her in a comforting manner, both for her and for himself. He had grown accustomed to seeing Emmara every day, and he had grown to enjoy her company immensely. He would be sad to see her go.

Emmara scoffed.

"We don't belong here, Obi." She said, "We aren't Jedi. They won't allow us to stay."

"Well they won't send you away without giving you options." He tried, but knew that he failed by the frown on her face.

"I hope you're right." She conceded, taking a deep breath. She sat up straighter and took a small bite of the strawberry. Obi-wan watched her closely as she ate.

He knew that he had begun to view Emmara in a completely new light after that night in the Room of a Thousand Fountains and on the lake level.

Emmara was no longer just someone he trained with every day; they had formed a close bond of friendship. It was deeper than he had expected, and it came easily but he hardly minded. He found that he rather enjoyed her company and looked forward to their time spent together. Whenever she walked into a room he gravitated towards her, and when she smiled he felt happy. Whenever she was sad he always wanted to make her feel better, and he could not understand why. Try as he may he couldn't figure out what it was that was nagging at the back of his brain. So he brushed the thought away, deciding that he would meditate on the matter later.

"I will miss you if we do have to leave." Emmara stated, with a sorrow filled smile. Obi-wan nodded,

"And I you." He replied, his eyes catching hers. They stayed that way for a moment, looking into each other's eyes. Obi-wan found himself leaning closer to her, wanting to be as near to her as possible.

Emmara is the one who broke the trance, turning her head abruptly. Obi-wan saw the blush that rose up her lovely neck and covered her cheeks.

"Would you like to take a walk, Obi?" Emmara asked, "I would like to get some fresh air."

Obi-wan gave his consent and waited for her to finish her strawberry before they walked side by side out of the cafeteria. The stroll was silent, almost uncomfortably so. Obi-wan found himself twiddling his thumbs inside his robes, trying to keep his thoughts focused. They had almost reached the lobby of the temple when Emmara stopped them in their tracks, holding her arm out so that Obi-wan ran into it unexpectedly. He looked over to see Emmara staring intently at something. He followed her eyes to see Marcus walking away from them and out of the temple.

"What is…" Emmara shushed him, but pulled him along as Marcus continued to move farther away from them.

"He has been disappearing for hours at a time and no one knows where he goes." She informed Obi-wan as she pressed him to the side to duck behind a pillar when Marcus had begun to turn around. She had him pressed against the pillar with her hand on his chest as she peeked around the pillar to see what Marcus was doing.

"Why don't you simply ask him where he's going?" Obi-wan suggested an obvious solution, and Emmara gave him a look.

"I've considered that." She told him as they stepped back out into the hall. "He has distanced himself from the rest of us, and I don't know how to approach the subject." She answered honestly. "I've told you about all of the dreams and visions I've been having. It's hard enough to treat him normally without throwing in an interrogation."

Obi-wan understood her reasoning and nodded his head.

"So you are going to follow him." He stated the obvious, "Seems less devious to me."

Emmara gave him an icy look at the sarcasm in his tone.

"I wasn't aware that Jedi knew how to use sarcasm." She teased right back, and Obi-wan smirked. "Can you come with me?" She asked, looking back and forth from Obi-wan to Marcus' retreating form quickly. "I don't know the city as well as you," She thought about it. "Or at all."

"Pretty please, Obi?" She plead, making sure to make her eyes bigger as she blinked up at him. Obi-wan rolled his eyes at her tactics, either with her for using them or with himself for their effectiveness.

"I suppose I could accompany you." He caved to her request. Anakin knew what was expected of him today so hopefully he would stick to Obi-wan's instructions. "What are you expecting to find?"

Emmara shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know." She admitted, "And I hate not knowing."

So they hurried out of the doors to follow Marcus from the temple steps and watched as he jumped into a waiting speeder on one of the landing bays. Emmara made sure that they blended into the scenery, hoping that Marcus wouldn't see them trailing him. The landing bay was crawling with Jedi, all of which were coming and going from the temple. Obi-wan motioned toward a free transport a few feet away, and she nodded before following the Jedi to the transport and hopping in. Obi-wan took the pilot seat, and Emmara climbed in beside him.

"There he goes." Emmara stated as she watched Marcus' speeder lift off and into Coruscant traffic. Obi-wan nodded, keeping a close eye on the speeder as he lifted off and traveled in the direction he had gone.

Obi-wan followed Marcus from a safe distance so that they wouldn't look suspicious. He followed the man in and out of traffic, and found that he was making his way to the underbelly of Coruscant. An uneasy feeling came over Obi-wan. Something was not right. He looked over to Emmara.

"I feel it too." She said, "I hope Marcus hasn't gotten himself into trouble." She whispered as she watched the world of Coruscant buzz around her. She was glad that Obi-wan had decided to come along, she knew she would have lost him by now.

"I am afraid we are not going to like what we find, Em." He told her honestly, "How well do you know Marcus?" He asked as he dipped lower into the city. Soon the sun wouldn't be able to reach them they were so far down.

"Not very well." She confessed, "He is very reserved and doesn't talk much."

Obi-wan nodded.

Emmara began to chew her lip. It was a bad habit she had when she was anxious.

Soon Obi-wan was touching the speeder down on the lower city streets of downtown Coruscant. The world around them had darkened considerably due to the lack of natural sunlight. In its place florescent lighting was attempting to make up for the lack of daylight, which made Emmara's eyes hurt. All manner of people and races walked these streets Emmara discovered as they started down the street. She could feel the darkness of this section of the city and found herself shrinking closer to Obi-wan just in case. She was surprised when Obi-wan grabbed her arm, holding it firmly as they walked.

Emmara watched as Marcus ducked between the crowds, moving forward at a quick pace. He was in a hurry. They picked up their own pace so that they wouldn't lose him. After walking for a few minutes he ducked into an apartment complex. Emmara stared up in confusion at the apartment complex he had disappeared into. It was old and shabby, and it made no sense what so ever to her that Marcus went here when he disappeared. She was torn from her thoughts when Obi-wan pulled her towards the entry of the complex.

They arrived just in time to see Marcus step onto a lift and disappear.

Emmara cursed.

"Now how do we know where he's gone?" She turned to Obi-wan, and he looked to the reception desk. He motioned for her to follow, and so she did.

"Hello," he greeted the orange skinned alien stood behind the counter and was currently typing away on her computer. She glanced up at Obi-wan's voice, and when she saw his Jedi garb came to full attention.

She spoke in a language lost on Emmara's foreign ears, but Obi-wan appeared to understand her words.

"I am here on Jedi business, and we need to see your security holo's. Now." The orange woman nodded, ushering behind the desk and motioning for them to follow. She was raving in her native tongue, and Emmara could only listen in ignorance.

They were led into a small office situated behind the reception desk and found a short, round alien leaning back in a comfortable chair snoring. The orange woman poked his shoulder, but he didn't respond, and so she hit him across the back of the head none too gently. The man jumped from his chair, rubbing the back of his head. When he spotted Obi-wan he began to stutter, before backing out of the office and leaving them to it.

"Alright, let's see where he's gone." Obi-wan took a seat and placed his hand over a round control of some sort. He touched the screen to pull up the recordings of the elevator, and rolled the ball back and the image on the screen began to rewind. When Marcus appeared on screen, Obi-wan stopped the machine.

They could only see his face, and the back of the lift. Obi-wan adjusted the line of sight so that they were looking at the back of his head and could see the command screen as it counted the floors. They waited patiently until it came to a stop at twenty three.

Emmara was useless right now, and so she watched as Obi-wan pulled up the surveillance recordings on the twenty third floor of the complex. He rewound the recording until they saw Marcus exit the elevator and walk down the hall.

"What is he doing?" Emmara questioned, "Who could he possibly know here?"

"We'll find out in a moment." They watched as he disappeared into a door marked with the number twelve and the time stamp said 1518. Obi-wan had the recording fast forward until it was in the present, and Marcus still hadn't reappeared and it was now 1534.

They waited.

It was almost an hour later that Marcus came through the door again, and he wasn't alone. A brunette appeared beside him, and it was a woman.

Emmara stepped closer to the viewing screen.

Was she seeing things? She rubbed at her eyes just in case, and when she opened them the woman was still there.

"Marcus, please no." Emmara whispered. Obi-wan looked up over his shoulder at Emmara.

"You know her?" He questioned taking a quick look at the woman on the surveillance camera again. Emmara nodded grimly.

"We all do." She said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "That is Avelle Rosche."


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight:**

They were still in the security office of the apartment complex as Emmara tried to grasp the reality that had just been thrown in her face. Marcus had lied to them all. He was a rebel. He was in contact with the assassin's the entire time. The thought of it all made Emmara's blood boil, but at the same time she felt like a complete fool. How had she not seen this? It had been in front of her the entire time. She knew that something was amiss when he would disappear for hours and then just reappear out of the blue. Why hadn't she confronted him about it? Add to that the fact that she had been having visions about him, and she felt like an utter idiot.

"How could I have been so stupid?" She scolded herself, "He was right there the whole time!"

Obi-wan stood beside her and listened to her verbally abuse herself.

"Emmara this is not your fault. We were all deceived." He told her, "How could you have possibly known?"

Emmara shook her head.

"I'm going to destroy that lying little…" When she attempted to rush out of the security room Obi-wan grabbed her arms and held her fast.

"Act without allowing anger to cloud your judgment." He instructed her, "If you confront him now, they will escape. We are outnumbered." She couldn't argue with his logic, and so she calmed down and nodded her head dejected.

"What should we do?" She asked Obi-wan, wanting to know what his solution to this mess would be.

"Allow him to return to the temple as he normally would." Emmara's brow furrowed.

"We can't just let him walk away."

"On the contrary." He told her, "We will let him lead us to them. In the mean time we need to return and inform the council." Emmara hardly liked his suggestion, but nodded knowing that he was right.

They both watched the viewing screen as Marcus stepped off the elevator and disappeared out of the building.

"How am I supposed to look at him?" She declared, "I still want to beat him to a bloody pulp. I'm not as strong as you are." She said to Obi-wan, knowing that seeing him amongst her friends would make her want to tear him apart.

"Let the force guide you, Emmara." He told her. "It will not lead you astray."

She huffed.

"I must not be that attuned to force if I had been having visions and couldn't seem to connect the two together." She ranted, all the while mentally berating herself for being so naïve.

"Perhaps you did not want to see it."

She gave him a look of haughty derision.

"Of course I didn't want to see it!" She cried, "I have been living under the same roof as a rebel basically feeding him all of the information he needs!" She let out a long growl of frustration. "That is probably why we haven't been able to find them before this! He has been leading us all astray, keeping us away from them."

Obi-wan considered this, and realized that it was most likely true.

"How are you so calm?" She snapped, and Obi-wan subtly sent her a calming wave through the force. That only appeared to make her more upset. "Don't do that. I want to be angry right now."

"You asked me how I was so calm." He replied tranquilly, and she rolled her eyes.

"Use your words." She scolded, and Obi-wan scowled.

"Anger will only cause irrational action." Emmara wanted to smack him and his damn serenity. "Release your anger into the force and then you will see clearly."

She sighed.

Closing her eyes, Emmara thought of the source of her anger and pushed it away from herself allowing it to fall away until it was small enough to contain. It was by no means dissipated, but it was much easier to reign in now.

She took a deep calming breath.

"Isn't that better?" She gave him a stink eye.

"No." She said snippily, but he could tell that she was only trying to be contradictory. He laughed.

"I thought you were the rational one." He commented, and Emmara smacked his arm.

"I am." She defended herself, "Just not when someone has been lying to my face for weeks."

"This treachery won't go unpunished, Em." He reassured her, "The council will make sure of that."

Emmara exhaled noisily and then her eyes widened in realization.

"If Marcus is a member of the rebellion, how many more are there?" She deliberated, "Avelle is a Guardian, the closest to the queen you can get. Marcus is a soldier; they can't be the only ones. The rebellion is bigger than we had originally thought."

The notion sent Emmara's stomach in a downward spiral to her shoes. The Queen was in far more trouble than she had originally thought. They had to find a way back. They had to, or else this was all in vain.

"Why are we here Obi-wan?" She postulated, "I don't understand why we've been brought here to discover all of these things, just to be barred from fixing them." She sighed, "It seems like a cruel joke."

Obi-wan followed her sigh with one of his own.

"It is a strange sequence of events, to be sure, but the force will not do something for naught." He comforted, "There has to be a bigger picture that we cannot see."

Emmara accepted his words, hoping that he was right.

"Let's go and inform the council of what we've discovered, and then we will worry about facing Marcus."

Emmara was eerily quiet on the journey back to the temple. In her mind she was going over every detail of every moment she had been with Marcus, trying to pin point any clues to what they were planning. Why did Marcus come with them on the Wanderer? Why didn't he go with the other assassin's? Emmara's mind answered that question easily; to keep an eye on them. She clenched her fists. She could only pray that she hadn't let any important information fall into his hands.

She was silent on the lift to the Jedi Council tower.

Obi-wan was worried that she was blaming herself again, but he had no idea how to convince her otherwise. Anything he could say wouldn't help, but he hated seeing her beat herself up like this.

"Perhaps you shouldn't go back to your apartments tonight," He suggested. "Seeing Marcus so soon might upset you."

Emmara nodded without a sound.

Obi-wan took a deep breath.

"There is no fault to be found with you, Emmara." He told her, but she refused to believe that. She could have ended this whole mess ages ago but she had blatantly ignored the warning signs. Exactly like when she had felt suspicious of Falon Jarem at the gala but ignored it. _Look where that got me._ She thought bitterly.

The lift doors opened onto the council tower receiving area and they both exited the elevator without a word.

Obi-wan left to request the presence of the council immediately.

Emmara stood beside the spacious window, looking out over the bright horizon. As the sun had begun to set the sky was painted a brilliant orange and illuminated around the tall city, making it appear as if it were glowing orange as well. It truly was remarkable.

"They are convening in about ten minutes," Obi-wan told her quietly, "They have accepted our request."

Emmara acknowledged his words,

"Thank you, Obi-wan for being such a good friend." She told him honestly, "I would have never found him on my own."

She smiled softly at him, her green eyes illuminated in the dimming light that flooded through the window.

Obi-wan found himself captivated by the brilliant green of her eyes, and could only nod. He came to his senses and turned away his heart beating far too quickly for his liking. How did she always do that? With only a look she had Obi-wan tongue tied and immobile.

The ten minutes passed slowly, with the two figures watching the city silently. When they were called in to see the council they moved with urgency.

"Information, have for us, you do?" Yoda asked, and they both nodded. "Waste time, we must not."

That was their queue to tell them, and with a look from Emmara Obi-wan knew that he would be the spokesperson.

"Marcus Darsten has been in contact with the fugitive's all along." Obi-wan told them, "We followed him and have proof that he is in league with the assassin's from Eonia."

Yoda considered the information, noticing the anger that had flared in the young woman at the mention of Marcus.

"In custody, have him, you do not." Yoda stated, "Plan of action, you must have."

Obi-wan shook his head.

"Not yet. We came seeking guidance on the matter."

Yoda bobbed his head, and Emmara watched his big ears twitch.

"Anger, I sense in you, Emmara Niada." Yoda announced, turning his attention to the young woman beside Obi-wan.

Placed on the spot Emmara froze, shifting uncomfortably at everyone's eyes focused on her.

"He has been lying to us the entire time," She confessed to the council, trying very hard to tone down the bitterness in her words. "He helped murder a lot of innocent people that night. I am angry that I did not see it sooner."

Yoda nodded in understanding.

"Set aside your anger, you must." He advised, "To have anger, is to be tempted by the dark side."

Emmara nodded humbly, accepting his critique.

"I will try, Master." She told him honestly, but he was not impressed with her answer.

"Do or do not, there is no try." He told her firmly. Emmara could only nod in agreement.

"Marcus will lead you to the others." Mace Windu said, "They must be brought in to custody as soon as possible."

Obi-wan nodded,

"We are going to wait until he makes contact next," Obi-wan said, "We are planning on it happening tomorrow."

The council agreed.

"Our blessing, you have." Yoda told him, "May the force be with you, Master Kenobi, Miss Niada."

Emmara and Obi-wan bowed before stepping out of the council room.

When Emmara stepped through the threshold of their shared apartment, she prayed to Valor that Marcus wouldn't be there. Fate was not so kind, because he was sitting at the counter beside Halley having dinner. Jade and Briam were there, as well as Anakin, standing casually around the kitchen island. All of them were talking and laughing, and an incredible sorrow filled Emmara. These were people who believed that they were friends, that trusted him and he was mocking them. She felt her blood pressure sky rocket as the sadness burned into raging anger.

She had to take a deep breath.

She couldn't let Jade know until Marcus was gone. She had to be cautious.

Jade caught sight of her and called out a greeting. Emmara smiled as genuinely as she could as everyone turned to greet her.

"Hello." She replied, casually walking over to the kitchen. "What's for dinner?"

Emmara looked over Halley's shoulder to her plate. There was a green salad, and some sort of casserole.

"Some sort of meat casserole." Jade informed her, "I have no idea what kind, but it is actually rather tasty."

"You should have some." Marcus said, eyeing her suspiciously. She forced herself to grin at him as she shook her head.

"Obi-wan and I had dinner, and I am full." Anakin looked annoyed.

"So that's where Obi-wan went off too." He muttered, and Emmara nodded.

"Sorry, he was helping me work on my meditation skills." She lied smoothly, "Then it was late so we grabbed some dinner. No biggie." Across the room Jade grinned mischeviously.

"Is that what they're calling it these days?" She teased, and Emmara turned a bright shade of red as she began to deny it. "I know Emmara," She relinquished, "I just love making you turn all different sorts of colors."

Emmara glared, but Anakin looked relieved.

"You know I hate it when you do that." Emmara said, knowing perfectly well that Jade loved making Emmara blush. It was just so easy due to Emmara's fair skin. Everything made her face turn red: embarrassment, exertion, anger, sadness. It was a trait she would pay to get rid of.

If only Jade had known where she had really been, all of the happiness radiating in the room would diminish in a heartbeat. Emmara sighed; perhaps she should give them tonight. If her dreams were in fact a vision of the future, tomorrow could be very dim. She looked to Briam, and she couldn't take it any longer.

"I'm sorry I forgot something." Emmara made an excuse, "I'll be back in a minute."

"Riiiight." Jade teased with a wink.

"Stop that." She scolded, becoming embarrassed that Jade was holding her feelings for Obi-wan over her head; with Anakin in the room, no less. It made her extremely self conscious. She almost wished that she hadn't confided in Jade her ever growing feelings for the Jedi Knight.

So she hurried out of the apartment, and once she was in the hallway she leaned back against the wall and sunk to the floor. Tears began to stream down her face, and she couldn't stop them.

That was how Anakin found her moments later; broken down on the floor.

"Are you alright, Emmara?" He asked. Even though they did not have the closest relationship, Anakin still cared for Emmara. So he sat down next to her in the hallway. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He was fully expecting her to confess her hidden love for his master, and tell him about how Obi-wan denied her affection and turned her away. Anakin was no fool; he had seen how his master looked at Emmara. He also noticed a distinct change in his behavior lately. He was no longer depressed, or nearly as volatile. To that point Anakin was relieved, but he was not pleased it was due to a woman.

"Marcus has lied to us all." She whispered, "He has been in league with the assassin's the entire time."

Anakin's face hardened. He was not expecting that.

"Are you sure?"

Emmara nodded.

"That is where Obi-wan and I were. We followed him into the city and saw him with Avelle, a Guardian." Anakin could hardly believe it. That was probably why they had such a hard time tracking them down! He found it strange that a group, with no knowledge of this galaxy, hadn't turned any heads anywhere. It was as if they had disappeared altogether.

"What is the plan?"

"We will follow him tomorrow, and apprehend them." She told him, her voice choking when she could suddenly smell the scent of smoke. "We can't let him know that we are on to him, or he will just run."

Anakin could clearly see that there was more than she was telling him. He hardly doubted that she would break down crying over Marcus. From what he had seen between the Eonian group Marcus hardly interacted with anyone. He was distant, and hardly ever spoke.

"What aren't you telling me?" He prodded, wanting to know the real reason why she was crying.

Emmara's tear stained face turned to Anakin, and her green eyes were swimming with unshed tears.

"I have been having awful dreams." She admitted.

"What kind of dreams?"

"Dreams of death, and pain." Anakin froze. He was all too familiar with these kinds of dreams. He had one a few months ago about his mother. He shivered at the memory.

"Who?" He was curious who her dreams were about, and why it was upsetting her so much.

Emmara chewed on her lip.

"Can we go to your place?" She asked, a hiccup erupting from her mouth suddenly. She frowned. "Great, now I have the hiccups too."

Anakin smiled for her, and nodded.

"Yes, let's go." Anakin stood and held a hand out for Emmara to pull her up.

They walked together in silence.

Anakin knew that she was avoiding his question, but why he wasn't sure. As much as he wanted to know who she was having these dreams about, he was reluctant to push her. It was obvious that she was hardly emotionally stable at the moment.

Anakin walked through their apartment door first, with Emmara trailing behind him.

Obi-wan was sitting at the table with a cup of tea. At first he didn't notice Emmara.

"We have much to talk about, my young apprentice." He stated, taking a sip of his tea.

Anakin nodded, stepping to the side to give Obi-wan a view of Emmara.

"I think I know what you are going to say."

Obi-wan saw the tear stains on Emmara's cheeks and smiled sadly in greeting. She nodded.

"You were right. Can I stay with you and Anakin tonight?" Was all she needed to say for him to understand why she was so upset.

"Of course." He got to his feet, "Would you like a cup of tea?" He offered, and Emmara nodded.

"That would be lovely."

Obi-wan turned to Anakin, and gestured for him to take a seat as well.

"We have a lot to talk about." Obi-wan grabbed two more cups, and returned to the table as Anakin took a seat between the two of them.

Obi-wan poured Emmara a cup of tea before returning to his seat and looking to his padawan.

"We need to develop a plan of action." Obi-wan said, "We have to be prepared for anything to happen."

His apprentice agreed full heartedly, and began asking questions about what had happened when they followed Marcus. Emmara just sat and sipped at her tea and listened to them devise a plan. She was far too absorbed in her thoughts to really contribute. She was trying to devise her own plan. She needed to find a way to keep Briam from going to that hotel tomorrow, but no matter what scenario she thought up it would never work. So she decided that she would just have to be extra vigilant on keeping an eye on him, at all times. The alternative was to allow herself to take the fatal blow.

She sighed loudly; it was going to be a long night.

…

Obi-wan and Anakin had long since gone to bed but Emmara was far from being able to sleep.

Anakin had been kind enough to offer his bed to her, and no matter how much she tried to tell him she could sleep on the couch, he wouldn't accept it. So she was tossing and turning in a comfortable bed while Anakin was probably uncomfortable and cramped on the couch in the living room. She felt guilty, and was tempted to go and tell him that she couldn't sleep either way so he should just have the bed. She looked to the chrono projecting up onto the ceiling. It was way past midnight. So it would be pointless to wake him up now and shuffle him into the room.

Emmara rolled over onto her side.

Her mind kept playing the moment that the assailant attacked, to a point that Emmara felt certain that if she was close enough she could stop him. It was the only possible solution she could think of because she had realized earlier that if she told Briam to stay behind it would be Jade on the receiving end of the knife. No matter how she tried to fix it, it all seemed to end with someone getting hurt and she preferred it to be herself.

Pushing the vision from her thoughts she decided to go over the plan of action Obi-wan and Anakin had arranged. In the morning they would brief Jade and Briam, but until then they were clueless about what was going on. Emmara had planned to tell them after Marcus had gone to bed, but Emmara had to get out of that apartment. She knew that Jade would probably blow things out of proportion when she discovers that Emmara had been out all night, but that was least of her problems.

Emmara turned again, before deciding that she needed to get out of the bed and walk for a minute. She wouldn't leave the apartment, but she felt restless and needed to move around. Throwing the covers off, she slid her legs over the edge of the bed until her feet touched the cool floor. There was a touch of a chill in the air, but it was not too bad.

She stood up and began to walk blindly over to the window but didn't make it far when she tripped over something. She landed heavily on floor with a few curses. Giving herself a moment to manage the pain in her toe, she tried to get a look at what she had tripped over. In the dark it just appeared to be a wiry hunk of metal. How had she not noticed that when she came in earlier?

The door to Anakin's room opened and Emmara jumped in surprise.

Obi-wan poked his head in the door.

"Are you alright?" He asked, and upon seeing her upon the floor surmised that she had fallen over. He walked over to help her to her feet. He had a sudden sense of déjà vu. "Have we done this before?" He sounded innocent, and Emmara laughed quietly.

"We have got to stop meeting like this." She agreed, remembering all of the times that she had tripped, or almost tripped and he had been there to save the day. Obi-wan chuckled.

"Instead of meditation I should have been training you how to balance." Emmara feigned a hurt frown.

"I can balance," she argued fruitlessly as they both laughed again. "Why are you awake?"

"I was asleep but then someone was making these really loud thumping noises…" He teased sarcastically and she rolled her eyes.

"You're lucky I don't thump you." She shot back, and Obi-wan laughed. He raised his hands in a sign of defeat. "That's right, don't even try."

"I couldn't possibly beat a lady." He told her with a smirk which caused Emmara to roll her eyes again.

"Don't try and pretend like you're some goody two shoes." She accused him with a smile, enjoying the exchange.

"Are you prepared for tomorrow?" Obi-wan asked, the mood shifting completely. Emmara sighed.

"I can't postpone the inevitable even as much as I would like to." She sighed sadly, "But I will follow through. I promise."

Obi-wan nodded. He knew that Emmara was a Guardian, trained to fight for her country, but he knew that this had hit her hard. He was worried that she was taking this far too personally, and it would destroy her.

"Emmara it will all be okay." He tried to reassure her, but he saw the despondent look that crossed her face. He moved in front of her and grabbed her shoulders softly, rubbing them comfortingly. "What tomorrow brings will help you grow stronger; there is nothing that happens for no reason."

Emmara nodded.

"I know." She told him, looking up into his eyes. "I am still afraid."

He waited for her to continue patiently.

"Briam means so much to Jade, it will break her apart. I can't watch her go through that." Obi-wan suddenly got a distinct feeling that Emmara was planning something, and it was not good.

He eyed her carefully, trying to find some clue behind her eyes.

He felt the sudden fear, but not just any fear. She was afraid to die.

His grip on her shoulders tightened.

"Emmara…" He began, but she pulled away from him. She turned her back to him.

"I would rather it be me than any of my friends." She confessed. He had thought she simply was afraid to die an accidental death at the hands of the rebels, but now he understood that she was planning on taking Briam's place.

Obi-wan blanched at her words.

He felt his own stomach twist in fear when he thought of Emmara dying. At the thought something inside of him felt like it was being torn to pieces.

"You can't do this, Emmara." He cried, stepping forward and pulling her back to face him. A tear had slipped from her eye, but she wiped it away quickly.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you." She muttered sadly, "But I will not change my mind."

"You will change your mind." He demanded, grabbing her forearms in his hands. "I won't allow you to commit suicide!"

Emmara shook her head.

"It is not suicide Obi-wan," She corrected him. "It is a sacrifice I am willing to make. Too many have died for me already."

He repeated her words quietly.

"Who has died for you?" He queried, and Emmara realized her blunder.

"I meant they have died for my foolishness." She amended, "I could have stopped the bombing at the palace. None of this would have happened if I would have done my job."

Obi-wan did not understand why her words hurt, but they did. Did she regret coming here?

Emmara sensed his feelings and shook her head.

"I would never regret meeting you, Obi-wan." She told him. "You mean so much to me."

Obi-wan froze. He could hear the obvious affection laced in her voice, and he gulped.

Emmara's fixed her eyes on Obi-wan's hands encasing her arms. They were larger than her own, and as calloused as her own from a life full of hard work. She pulled one of her arms from his grasp and placed her hand on top of his, stroking the skin there with her thumb. The caress was not lost on Obi-wan. He kept still; afraid that if he moved her touch would disappear.

She knew that if she tried to speak, all of the eloquent words that were running through her mind would come out in a jumble of unintelligent fodder. She bit her lip in frustration. This was the moment; she should just take that leap of faith and pray that Obi-wan would catch her before she crashed and burned. All she needed to do now was throw herself off of that ledge and see where the wind took her.

She knew that what she was about to do would either end very badly, or very well.

Without a word Emmara slowly leaned upward and gently touched her lips to Obi-wan's.

After a wonderfully, ecstatic moment she felt Obi-wan's hands on her shoulder's and he softly pushed her away from him. She felt her heart plummet down to the ground. Ever so slowly she opened her eyes, hesitant to see the disdain etched in his features. Only she was pleasantly surprised to see that his eyes had not yet opened, and he had a slight smile on his face. A smile appeared on her face and she placed on of her hands over his to see the moment shattered when his smile disappeared and his eyes opened abruptly.

He turned away from her, his eyes downcast.

"Emmara I..." Her heart began to ache at the sound of his voice. She knew what was coming next. She knew it was forbidden for him to love her, and in that moment she cursed herself for pursuing a man she could never have completely.

She shook her head and held a finger to his lips to stop him as he began to speak.

"Please don't, Obi-wan. I know that was wrong, but..." She shook her head, shutting her eyes tight trying her damndest to get rid of the tears filling her eyes. "I had to let you know."

Her words only fortified his intentions of making sure that she came back tomorrow safe and sound. Even if he couldn't allow himself to reciprocate her feelings, he couldn't let her sacrifice herself. He might be bound by the Code, but he still cared deeply for the young woman.

"You will come back tomorrow." He told her, "I swear it."


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine: Confrontation**

When Obi-wan awo the next morning he felt the anxiety for the upcoming day claim him.

He had to put aside what had transpired between Emmara and himself, at least until this was over, and then they could discuss what would happen. For now, he had to focus on the task at hand. He prepared for the day, taking a moment to meditate before he went out to have breakfast. He felt relieved after the hour he spent calming his emotions and sorting his thoughts, and so when he stepped out of his bedroom he felt prepared to face the events that would take place.

Anakin was already awake and eating breakfast, but Emmara was nowhere to be found. Noticing his master's wandering gaze Anakin said: "She went back to her apartments almost a half an hour ago."

Obi-wan nodded.

"Are you prepared, Anakin?" Obi-wan inquired of his padawan, and Anakin nodded his head.

"Good." Was the man's simple reply as he began preparing his morning tea.

It was destined to be a long day.

…

After Obi-wan had left her, Emmara had tossed and turned in her bed. Sleep evaded her, and when she felt herself drifting off the image of Briam's cold body sifted through her thoughts and she was awake once more. The emotions that her vision stirred in her gut made tears sting in her eyes, and she wished that she could stop whatever was going to happen. She had been told that visions of the future were never absolute, that the future was shifting constantly. Those words hardly gave her any comfort; she knew that this vision would come true. She could feel it in her very being. She wished she knew what had her so distracted at the last minute that she couldn't tear her eyes away to help Briam.

These thoughts haunted her all through the night, and into the morning. She had hardly slept so as she walked into the kitchen and found Anakin sitting at the table she yawned before taking a seat across from the young man.

"Morning, Anakin." She greeted, purposely omitting the 'good' from the sentiment. It was anything but a good morning.

Anakin nodded hello as he took another bite from his bowl.

She watched him for a moment, her eyes scanning his features. Anakin was a handsome young man with defined cheek bones and sensual lips, but what caught her attention were his searing blue eyes. He was also increasingly arrogant, which was the main cause for the strain in their relationship. She was never quite able to move past his whining and his obvious disrespect for Obi-wan at times.

"Can I ask you a favor, Anakin?" Anakin's eyes snapped up to hers, and she could see the clear confusion at her request.

"Depends." He responded, eyeing her with obvious suspicion.

She made a disgruntled noise,

"Oh, shove it." She snipped, "I need you to keep close to Briam for me, make sure nothing happens to him."

Anakin was confused further at her words.

"Please?" She plead, "No questions, just make sure nothing happens."

Anakin felt empathy when he heard the desperation in her voice, and he nodded in agreement.

"I will."

Emmara smiled, although it did not reach her eyes.

"Thank you." Anakin watched her as she vacated the apartment without another word, all the while wondering why she had made such a request of him.

The emotions undulating inside of her were sporadic, as if she were on a roller coaster. As she walked into the apartment she shared with her fellow Eonian's Emmara tried to hide them away, shoving them deep into her mind. At least until the day that lay ahead was over. She had a job to do; a murderer to hunt down. A promise to keep.

She knew that they would go after Marcus as soon as possible but the apprehension was killing her. She had a feeling that Marcus was aware of their suspicions regarding him and so she anticipated his disappearing act to happen sooner rather than later. For now she just had to make sure that she did her part; she had to find a way to get him to flee to the hotel as soon as possible without actually starting a confrontation. It was going to be harder than she had originally thought, but it had to be done so she would find a way.

When she arrived at the apartment it was still early in the morning and the apartment was still. Everyone was still asleep, and so Emmara took a quick shower. Braiding her hair as quickly as possible, Emmara dressed in a simple red tunic with brown slacks. After she was completely dressed and ready to go only twenty minutes had passed, and when she went out to the kitchen it was still eerily quiet.

With a sigh Emmara sat at the kitchen table after starting a pot of coffee. It only took another half an hour until Jade appeared stumbling from the hallway.

"Need caffeine." She muttered, fumbling around to get a cup of coffee.

Emmara laughed.

"Never a morning person, were you?"

Jade's silence was her answer.

"Don't think I didn't notice your disappearing act last night, girlie." Jade called from over her shoulder, "Once I have caffeine in my system you have a lot of explaining to do."

Emmara was fully prepared for this, and so she waited patiently for Jade to have her coffee and begin asking questions. Her friend took a seat beside her and sipped her drink before she started asking her questions. Emmara answered them dutifully, keeping an eye on the chrono on the wall antsy to set the plan in motion. She heard the shuffle of feet in the hall, and she knew it was time. Once Jade was fully awake she decided it was about time for her to know. She grabbed Jade's hands in her own.

"Jay, we have some information on Jarem and the others." Jade's ears perked up instantly. "We received an anonymous tip, and we know where they are."

Jade's eyes widened to saucers and her mouth opened.

"What?" She hissed, "How long have you known?"

"Since last night." Jade was ready to make a scene but Emmara calmed her down before she exploded. "Jade it is far more serious than we thought."

She did not like the sound of that.

"Avelle is here on Coruscant." Jade's eyes darkened. "As soon as possible we are going to and apprehend her and the others."

"That's good, let me go get ready." Jade moved to get up but Emmara grabbed her arm and pulled her back. With a curious look Jade spoke. "There's more?"

Emmara nodded solemnly.

Taking a look around, listening intently to hear if anyone else had awoken, Emmara made sure to seem genuine in her act. She continued as if she was satisfied that no one was listening in, but she was perfectly aware of the figure hiding in the hallway.

"They have had help." By the look on her face Jade was lost, "We don't know who their confidant is, but they have been able to avoid us for long enough that we suspect an insider."

Jade's face turned to stone.

"Who?" Emmara shrugged.

"We aren't sure." She told her closest friend, "But we have to be mindful of our companions."

Jade's mood turned sour in seconds.

"Don't tell me you suspect Briam." Her tone was accusatory, and Emmara didn't respond.

"I don't know, Jade." She replied, "It has to be one of us, that is the only thing that makes sense. Unless you have something you are keeping from me."

Jade's eyes hardened as she practically dropped her coffee mug onto the table.

"I'm going to go get dressed." Without another word Jade stood up and stomped out of the kitchen. Marcus took this time to step out of the hallway and into the kitchen, pretending to yawn as Jade stomped past him. Emmara paid him no mind, giving him a brief 'good morning' before she disappeared down the hall.

Emmara sighed. She hated lying to Jade, but it had to be done. Listening carefully she waited until she heard the *swoosh* of the front door opening, and she smiled as their plan unfolded. She rushed to Jade's door and didn't wait for her to answer and burst into the room. Briam was there and he was already dressed, much to Emmara's relief.

"Get dressed, let's go. Now." She demanded, "Marcus is on the move. Obi-wan and Anakin are on his tail, but we have to hurry if we are to be of any help."

Jade stopped in her tracks, confused at her words.

She pieced the clues together in a few moments.

"He was listening to us?" Emmara nodded, grabbing Jade's clothes and throwing them at her.

"Let's go." She urged, before she rushed to the closet to grab the black weapons duffel bag. "I'm sorry for having to lie." She pulled it out and grabbed an assortment of weapons for each of them. She equipped her bow and a quiver of arrows, as well as a pistol and a knife.

Jade shrugged and pulled her pants on and slipped the jacket over her shoulders. She didn't even bother with her hair, but only grabbed the pistol that Emmara had laid out on the bed from the weapons bag.

They were out the door ten minutes later, hurrying to catch up to Anakin and Obi-wan.

Obi-wan had instructed a droid to wait at the docks to transport them to the hotel without any trouble. Once they arrived, Emmara found that the hotel had been effectively locked down. They reconvened with Obi-wan and Anakin on the twenty-third floor where they were waiting.

"Have they moved?" Emmara questioned immediately, and Obi-wan shook his head.

"They have no idea that the hotel is in lockdown. We made quiet work of that." He replied.

"We'll go in first." Jade stated, stepping forward with Briam beside her. Emmara took a deep breath and stepped beside them.

"We do this together." She told them. "They won't get away this time."

Jade nodded, pulling her pistol from its place.

They surrounded the hotel room door, while Obi-wan and Anakin stood back.

Emmara silently counted down.

At one, Briam kicked the door in and they all rushed inside.

Inside was a bustle of movement as they were rushing to evade them once more. Emmara stepped carefully with her bow drawn and an arrow ready, and trained on the first figure she saw which happened to be Falon Jarem. Her eyes roamed the room but she found no sign of Marcus, or Avelle.

"Stop." She commanded, "It is over, you are coming with us."

There was a collective laugh.

"What makes you think we will listen to you?" Avelle said mockingly, stepping out from the hallway with a blade in her hand. "You hold no rank here, Niada." She pointed it in her direction threateningly. Emmara winced inwardly, Avelle was known for her accuracy with throwing knives.

"You are ordered to comply and go peacefully," Obi-wan said with his lightsaber ignited in his hands as he stood ready. His padawan stood beside him ready for a fight as well. "Put your weapons down."

"On whose authority?" Avelle called back, "The Jedi?"

She scoffed.

"We aren't going anywhere."

Emmara carefully released the tension of her bow, lowering it toward the ground. The movement caused the enemies to startle and they raised their weapons. Emmara held a hand up,

"Too many innocent people have already died, Avelle just come with us." She tried to convince her, but Avelle's answer was a cold laugh.

"Emmara, ever the peacekeeper." She ridiculed, "When will you learn that sometimes peace isn't the answer."

Avelle then moved forward quickly, attempting to land a blow but missing when Emmara turned out of the way. The fight imploded, and shots were fired all around the room. Emmara put her bow over her shoulder and grabbed the dagger she had strapped to her waist and held it up. Avelle smirked at her as she advanced.

"I do respect you Emmara. I don't want to have to kill you." Avelle threatened as she circled her opponent. Emmara was hardly fazed by her words,

"Haven't you killed enough innocent people, Avelle?" She implored, hoping that she would see the error in what she was doing. She was not amazed when Avelle scoffed at her words and paid them no heed.

"Criax is the rightful ruler of Eonia." She spat, "He deserves the throne, he isn't afraid to do what is necessary…"

"Necessary!" Emmara could hardly keep from shouting. "Murdering innocent people is necessary? What kind of government will that be?" She queried, "Will he be a leader or a tyrant!" She flew forward and struck at Avelle, but Avelle dipped away expertly.

Avelle attacked, striking at Emmara's face but narrowly missed and grazed her cheek instead.

Emmara grabbed Avelle's knife wielding arm and twisted it, forcing her to face away from Emmara. Emmara did not notice Falon sneak up behind her until he struck the back of her head. Emmara stumbled forward, cringing when she touched the back of her head and seeing her fingertips stained red when she looked at them.

She threw her dagger, managing to hit Falon in the back of the knee so that he fell to the ground.

Avelle retaliated by throwing her own knife, but Emmara used the force to deflect the flying weapon.

She growled viciously, before she ran forward and threw the first punch. They fought back and forth, until suddenly from the hallway a small round object was thrown to the middle of the room.

"Bomb!" Emmara cried turning and running as it detonated.

Everyone was thrown from the wall of energy and fire that erupted from the small orb.

The minor explosion had left rubble littered across the apartment, and small traces of heat and fires were scattered here and there. Everyone was stumbling to their feet, and Emmara had the time to take a look around and regroup with the rest of them. She noticed that the other man that she had not known had fallen, and Falon was injured with Avelle cradling next to him off in the corner. Marcus had been the one to throw the grenade, and so he stood facing down the three of them. Obi-wan and Anakin had mostly stayed back, ready to jump in if necessary.

Jade was glaring Marcus down, her fingers itching over the trigger of her gun.

"Surrender, Marcus." Emmara implored, her ears ringing from the blast. "It isn't worth any more lives."

Marcus laughed sardonically.

Emmara's ears perked up when she instantly recognized the sound as the laugh from her vision. She became ultra attentive of her surroundings; taking note of where each person was standing. Avelle was still sitting with an injured Falon, a few feet away. Marcus was the only one close enough to make a move and so her eyes trailed him closely as he advanced.

"Why would we surrender?" he spoke smoothly, "We have the upper hand."

Emmara's confusion was short lived when Marcus pulled someone from the hallway.

Emmara gasped.

Halley was bound and gagged, with tears running down her cheeks. How had Emmara not noticed Halley's absence this morning? She must have been too focused on the mission at hand that she hadn't even checked to see if Halley had gone for her early morning lessons.

"Let her go!" Emmara cried, stepping forward to take Halley.

"Tsk. Tsk, Emara."Marcus said as he yanked Halley back and placed his weapon against her forehead.

Emmara stopped in her tracks, as fear began to bubble up from the pit of her stomach.

"You know I can't do that." He swept the barrel of the pistol against Halley's cheek causing the young girl to turn her head in fear. "She is my insurance that you won't follow me."

"Take me!" She cried out, "Please she is only a child, take me instead. I will go willingly." She implored as she carefully removed all of her weapons and set them on the floor so that she was unarmed; except for the gun she had hidden away in the back of her pants for insurance.

Her pleading was met with another sadistic laugh.

"That is too rich!" He ridiculed, "Emmara Niada, rising star of the Guardians, offering herself up to replace a meaningless child." Emmara flinched at the pain that flickered through Halley's eyes as he said those cruel things.

"Exactly." She agreed, "I am of more worth to you, let Halley go." She tried to convince him, praying to Valor that he would accept.

Marcus pretended it mull it over, dramatically placing a finger to his chin and tapping. Then with a cool stare he replied,

"No." This was followed by another laugh. "It is much too fun to see you squirm."

Emmara's throat closed. She had to get Halley out of here.

"If you take her, Marcus, I will never stop until I've found you." She threatened, placing all of the malice she could muster into the warning. Marcus feigned fear, but then threw his head back and laughed.

"You would never risk the girl's life, even I know that." Marcus acknowledged, knowing perfectly well that Emmara would never want to see Halley hurt. Emmara was at a loss. Marcus had the upper hand.

Her eyes narrowed on him.

"You won't get away with this Marcus." She told him, placing her hands behind her back to feel for the gun she had hidden there. Briam noticed the movement, and was fairly certain that Marcus was solely focused on Emmara. So he carefully took a step forward to see if he would react, but he didn't notice. Marcus was watching the movement of Emmara's hands and pressed the barrel closer to the girl's temple, making the girl whimper in fear.

Emmara held her hands up, taking them away from the weapon.

Briam had an opportunity and so he took it, and sent his dagger flying. It embedded itself in Marcus' gun wielding hand. Marcus cried out in pain as the gun plummeted to the floor, and Halley rushed away from her captor. She had almost reached Emmara, but nobody expected what happened next; Marcus pulled the dagger from his hand with a hiss and threw it.

It sailed through the air and entrenched itself in Halley's back.

Emmara's eyes widened in horror as she watched Halley's eyes widen in agony and she cried out as her legs gave out and she fell directly into Emmara's arms. With shaking arms Emmara carefully lowered the girl onto the ground, and began to inspect the damage. The knife was buried to the hilt in her lower back, directly in the center where her spine was located. Emmara's stomach lurched and twisted with grief. No one could survive an injury like that.

Emmara tenderly turned the young girl onto her side, and cradled her head in her hands. Halley's mouth was agape, and pain had contorted her young features.

"It will be alright." She whispered with a wavering voice, "It will be okay." Was all Emmara could manage to say as she peered into the young girls fading eyes. Halley's mouth opened in an attempt to say something and blood dripped from her tongue.

She felt Halley's familiar presence being ripped away, and Emmara cried out as she clung to the girl.

In seconds Halley's eyes glazed over and she became unresponsive.

She was gone.

Tears fell down her face as she held the nine year old girl, and grief washed through every inch of her soul.

With a sob, Emmara touched her two fingertips to her mouth and reached down to press them against Halley's forehead gently, lovingly. She cradled her in her arms carefully, closing her eyes and resting her cheek against her hair.

"Until we meet again at Valor's Hall, Little Halley." She whispered softly, and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead before she gently laid her down amongst the rubble.

Emmara rose to her feet and when she saw that Briam had pushed Jade away she realized with a sense of dread that her vision was coming true. She watched from across the room as Marcus stabbed Briam and slashed across his middle, and Briam sunk to floor as blood seeped from his wound.

A sob escaped from Jade's lip as Briam fell.

Rage swept through Emmara like a spark catching fire in a field of kindling.

That was enough.

With renewed determination, Emmara ran at Marcus and dodged the first slash that he dealt with ease. Weary of the knife, Emmara had to keep avoiding its razor edge as he swiped at her multiple times. She finally was able to block his knife wielding with her arm and landed an uppercut to his ribcage. Leaving him breathless, she took the opportunity to bring her knee up into his stomach and when he bent over automatically she slammed his back so that he fell to the ground.

The knife clattered to the ground and Emmara kicked it away.

Wasting no time Emmara kicked Marcus in the stomach again, and again. All of her anger fueling her attack.

She felt hands pulling her away from Marcus, and a voice telling her to stop but she was so angry that she hardly heard them. She fought the arms wrapping around her waist, and tried to flee but she was held fast. She watched as Anakin came from out of the corner of her eye and grabbed Marcus' wrists and bound them before he could do any more damage.

"Let me go!" She screamed, attempting to elbow her captor as hard as she could.

"Emmara it is over," Obi-wan's voice became clear in her ear. "Breathe." He instructed, as he projected calming waves through the force to wash over her. Still struggling, Emmara took a deep breath as she felt the calming feeling surge in her stomach. She closed her eyes forcefully, pushing the tears through her eyelids and they dripped down her cheeks.

She stopped struggling against him and relaxed in his arms.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten: The Aftermath**

Emmara had found the lake level without too much trouble.

As she sat on the sandy beach with her knees tucked under her chin she had to keep wiping the stray tears from her face. Four days had passed since the altercation at the hotel and since then it felt as if her already topsy turvy world had begun to spiral out of control. Emmara spent a vast amount of her time weeping. Halley's passing had left Emmara's heart broken. When she closed her eyes she thought of Halley's dark youthful eyes staring straight into her, yet they were empty. It made Emmara's inside's twist uncomfortably.

It had all happened so quickly.

One moment she was there, and the next she was gone.

She was so young. She didn't deserve to die that way. She had so much to offer in life, and it had been stolen unjustly from her. Her death had laid before her the weighty evidence of Emmara's fault, and how she had failed immeasurably. It tore at every corner of her soul, and made her feel absolutely worthless. She was supposed to protect the young girl, but she had been so caught up in finding Marcus in getting revenge for what they had done, and she had been too obtuse to realize that he had taken her. It was her own foolishness that made it possible for Marcus to take her.

Even when she tried to think of Briam being alive and well as something to be happy about it only added to the weight of Halley's death. The truth of it all had taken so much out of her that she felt she had no more to give.

Emmara sniffled, and rubbed her eyes forcefully willing her tears to abide.

Her mind wandered to Marcus. She had been so incensed that she was sure that if Obi-wan had not stopped her she would have killed him, and a small part of her wishes that she had. Majorly she knew that he deserved to live and face trial for his crimes, and live with the weight of what he had done. Yet, at the same time Emmara knew that he felt no regret for taking the lives he was responsible for so it would be no burden to him. Still death was too easy for him; he deserved to rot in a cell.

Marcus, Avelle, and Falon had been placed under arrest by the Order and were waiting judgment in a few days. Emmara had pled her case to the Council, begging them not to let them go free. If they ever did find a way home, they deserved to face trial for their crimes against Eonia. Marcus had murdered Halley, and countless others. They were dangerous, but Emmara still feared they would make the argument that Avelle and Falons' crimes would not hold because they had done no wrong against Coruscant.

Her fists clenched at the thought.

If that happened, Emmara knew that she couldn't allow them to walk away again. Damn what the council thought.

Which brought back the memory of what they had told her earlier concerning their future in the temple; which to put it simply was nonexistent. The council believed that the two women were to set in their ways, or too old as they put it, and so they would allow no further training. Instead they had offered them a job of sorts with the Republic. Something about transporting goods to the outer rim allies, and other little odd end jobs for the Republic and the Order. Without hesitation the Eonian's had told them that they accepted, and so they would have to learn how to fly a freighter, and get a pilot license and a lot of other nonsense that Emmara could not follow. They would be provided with living space, and would be paid for their services. It wasn't such a bad gig. The thought of flying still sent a chill through Emmara, but she knew that it would be better than staying here. She was immensely grateful for all of the help the Council had offered them over the weeks. Force only knows where they would have ended up otherwise.

Emmara didn't bat an eyelash when a figure sat down beside her in the sand.

"It is peaceful here." She heard Obi-wan's cultured voice observe from beside her. "I spent a lot of time here when I was young. I used to take a swim in between classes to relax."

Emmara didn't respond with words, only nodded.

Obi-wan sighed.

He had hardly seen Emmara since the incident. She had hardly left her apartment, and when she did leave it was elusively with no one knowing that she had slipped away.

"Halley would never blame you for what happened." He felt the need to say it aloud, knowing perfectly well that she blamed herself for the death of the young girl. It was a devastating loss, for everyone. Halley had been a bright young lady with a very promising future. "She spoke of you often, admired and loved you."

Emmara's shoulders sunk.

"The funeral is tonight." She whispered against her knees, "We will never be able to spread their ashes under the Memorial Tree…" She lamented, her tears wetting the fabric of her pants. It was one of the more trivial things to worry over, but Emmara couldn't help it. There was so much she wished she could change, but had no power to do so.

Obi-wan adjusted so that he was beside her and could wrap an arm around her shoulders.

He was sincerely worried about Emmara.

Since they had returned he noticed that every time he did see her, which was only once or twice, she was becoming significantly paler and thinner. He assumed that she wasn't eating, or sleeping for that matter due to the black rings around her normally bright eyes. This ordeal was killing her slowly, and that scared him immensely.

"I failed, Obi-wan." She cried softly. "I failed to save her."

Obi-wan pulled her into his arms completely, so that her face was buried against his neck.

He softly stroked her hair to comfort her. He pulled her face back so that he could see her, holding her face in his hands he wiped away the tears with his thumbs. He was vaguely aware of the inappropriate position he was in, but he paid it no mind.

"You cannot prevent death, Emmara." He whispered, "If it is the will of the Force, you cannot stop it."

More tears rolled down onto Obi-wan's thumbs.

"Why not?" She choked, her hands wrapping around his wrists softly for support. "Why must I watch the ones I love die?"

Her words struck an all too familiar chord inside of Obi-wan and he immediately thought of his fallen master Qui-gon and Siri. He found his throat tightening with emotion. He coughed to clear it away before he spoke, but his voice was still gruff with emotion.

"I do not know. Perhaps it is to make us stronger," He answered truthfully, "Or maybe it is a reminder to appreciate the loved ones we still have with us."

Emmara fell back into his embrace and pressed her face into his shoulder, not wanting to let Obi-wan see the flood of emotion on her face.

She sniffled.

"How do you always know exactly what to say?" She wondered aloud, and Obi-wan chuckled softly. She pulled back to look him in the eye, and Obi-wan's eyes traveled over her face. Her eyes were red and splotchy from the crying, as well as the skin under and around her eyes, which in turn made her emerald orbs pop out in comparison. The freckles that dotted her nose and cheeks were more visible, and her nose had been rubbed raw.

Obi-wan wiped a few more tears away and smiled softly.

"I have been told a time or two that I am particularly wise, milady." He boasted in jest, hoping to see her smile. His attempt was a success, although the smile was more of a quick upturn of her lips before it disappeared again.

"Has anyone told you, you are particularly humble as well?" She teased, sitting back down into the sand beside him. He chuckled, and shook his head.

The mood shifted quickly back into a somber one.

"Halley was a special girl." Her words broke the silence. "The first time I met her I had been assigned to teach the younger girls the Guardian Oath. She was over four years old but I could have sworn she wasn't a day over three she was so small." The memory brought a smile to Emmara's face. She pictured Halley's unruly strawberry blonde hair, and her big brown orbs, as well as her skinny little body which didn't fit the size of her head quite yet.

"When I asked who knew the Oath Halley's hand shot right up, and without a second thought she stood up in front of the class and recited the Oath word for word." She recalled, remembering how astounded she had been that this young girl was so smart and articulate. "Afterwards I went up to her and asked her who had taught her the Oath and when she told me that she had memorized it from her lesson books all on her own I didn't believe her."

Emmara laughed softly.

"The look in Halley's eye when I said aloud how old I thought she was I thought she was going to hurt me. I honestly thought she was only three, perhaps even younger." She recalled the hurt and angry scowl on Halley's face when she stamped her foot and practically shouted at Emmara that she was four, almost five. "She actually stomped on my foot."

She laughed out loud.

"Halley didn't even hold back just ground her heel right onto my toes." She bit her lip. "A few weeks later, and after a lengthy apology on my behalf, she was practically attached to my hip and she followed me everywhere. I don't' know what it was about Halley, but we just seemed to click together. She was like the little sister I never had."

A small pause grew between them.

"She told me once that you are a singer." He noticed that his words caught her off guard and she looked to Obi-wan.

"What did she tell you?"

"That you sing like an angel." He was only being honest to Halley's words, but saw as Emmara's face turned bright red.

"Hardly." She sputtered, "Halley always had a way of over romanticizing things."

"She told me once that she wanted to perform a duet with you, but she must have forgotten." Obi-wan told her, recalling the day that Halley had approached him. Emmara's head tilted down and her hair fell and became a curtain between them.

"We sang together all the time." She whispered, "At night before bed, we would sing together."

_Sing and I will hear you  
no matter where you are  
A song to light the darkest night  
And guide me from afar  
And I will never be alone  
Now I know you're somewhere  
You're everywhere to me_

The lyrics floated through her mind, and the tears began to roll down her cheeks once more. She wiped them away with a frustrated groan.

"Why can't I stop crying?" She asked forlornly. "I am tired of crying all the time, but the tears won't stop."

Obi-wan felt sympathetic to her predicament.

"It will pass, and one day the pain will fade. " Obi-wan comforted her, "It will never disappear completely, but it will fade."

Emmara examined Obi-wan's face closely as he watched the water.

"You speak from experience?" She speculated, noting the edge of familiarity in his words.

Slowly, Obi-wan nodded.

"You remember what I've told you of Master Qui-gon?" Emmara nodded. "He passed away eight years ago." He told her with a sad gaze. "He was the closest thing to a father I ever had."

Emmara was silent, taking in his words as he spoke.

"When he passed I had a very hard time of it." He admitted, his thoughts turning to Siri who had helped him through the trying time of his life. He had, had no one to comfort him when she passed on.

Emmara noticed the new wave of sorrow that washed over him. She didn't ask simply because she wanted him to confide in her of his own accord; she wouldn't press the matter.

"I am sorry for your Master." She told him honestly, she would never wish this sort of emotional agony upon anyone. Obi-wan was silent. "Thank you for coming to sit with me." She added, "I have been quite the recluse lately, haven't I?"

Obi-wan chuckled.

"I am surprised to have found you here." He admitted openly, and Emmara smiled.

"I like it here." She told him, "It reminds me of home."

Obi-wan could see why, from the paintings he had seen that Jade had drawn of their homeworld they had a few similarities.

Emmara looked out over the green water with a fond smile. Her eyes roamed up to the overhanging cliffs that stood over the water and had a sudden urge to jump. It would be good to get her mind off of things for a little while, and that was as good a way as any.

With a wide smile she turned to Obi-wan, and he was offset by her obvious cunning smirk.

"What?" He spoke cautiously, and her smile grew.

She shuffled to her feet, pulling her shoes off hastily. She helped Obi-wan to his feet before her hands fell to the hem of her shirt and as she began pulling it up Obi-wan caught her hands and held them still. He found himself stuttering as he spoke.

"What are you doing?" He gave her a pointed look and Emmara's cheeks flamed when she realized what he had been thinking. She shook her head.

"Come swim with me." She pulled her outer shirt off, leaving only her under camisole so that she was still properly covered. Obi-wan turned a lovely shade of red as he turned his face away from her at his improper thoughts that had bombarded his mind only a moment ago.

Before he could decline Emmara dashed into the water in her underclothes, and Obi-wan shook his head and took a deep breath. Despite the obvious indecency of the situation, despite his training, Obi-wan stripped down to his breeches and left his robes on the sand beside hers.

_You will be the death of me._ He thought to himself before following her to the water's edge.

She was already halfway submerged in the water when his toes touched the water.

She pointed to the cliffs she had seen earlier and turned to Obi-wan.

"Race you there?" She called, with a playful smile. Obi-wan's eyes followed where her finger pointed, and once again before he could give her an answer she was off; splashing as she dove under the water.

With a bemused chuckle Obi-wan followed, hurrying to catch up.

When she resurfaced Obi-wan had almost reached her. "Cheating, milady?" He teased, and she gave him a wicked grin.

She was glad that she couldn't break him completely of the endearment. At first she had been embarrassed whenever he would refer to her in such a way, but now she found it sweet.

"Hardly," She replied, "Is it not the polite thing to do to give a lady a head start?"

Obi-wan laughed out loud as he began to swim in earnest as the water became deeper.

When he came to swim beside her she was on her back, floating serenely and kicking her feet lazily.

"I thought this was a race?" He teased lightly, glad to flip to his back and swim leisurely. Emmara looked to him, and then to the cliffs.

"Oh, yeah." She uttered as if she had forgotten and then she began to swim in earnest, working her arms in the water. Obi-wan followed suit and began to swim at a faster pace.

Obi-wan was hardly surprised when she beat him to the cliffs. He noticed that she was a strong swimmer, most likely from summers spent at the lakeside.

When she climbed up onto the rocks she looked back at him with a triumphant smile before making a show of raising her arms in the air and kissing her biceps. He rolled his eyes, laughing the entire time. She bent down and placed a hand out to help him up onto the cliffs, and Obi-wan accepted it gratefully. Instead of letting her pull him up, with a wicked smile he yanked her back down into the water.

She came up spluttering while wiping the blond strands from her face.

Once she could see again she began to laugh and splash at Obi-wan. Before he could retaliate she hurried to climb back up onto the rocks and sat down to catch her breath.

"You get to get up all on your own this time." She teased as she pulled her hair to the side and with a fair amount of difficulty due to the lake water she braided it to keep it out of the way.

"Has anyone ever jumped from these cliffs before?" She asked, and Obi-wan shrugged.

"I am sure they have, but I am sure it is not encouraged." Emmara laughed.

"I ask because if not we need to make sure the water below is safe." She told him, "There might be rocks that we can't see and that would hurt."

Obi-wan understood and volunteered to go and see what the situation was below the surface.

Emmara climbed to the top, looking down to see when Obi-wan resurfaced from his search. He gave her the thumbs up and she waited for him to climb back up to the top. The cliff was probably only fifteen feet from the water, hardly the largest cliff she had ever thrown herself off of but her heart still began to beat wildly in her chest. She always had a strange fear of heights. She could be standing next to a ninety foot drop off, and although she was anxious for her safety, she could handle it but when it was someone else it was a completely different story. She became a basket case. It had never made sense to her.

"Please don't fall." She told him sternly. "You can jump, but not fall."

Obi-wan looked at her with a strange look.

She raised her shoulders in a gesture of ambiguity. "I don't like it when people are near cliff edges. I don't know why it makes me so edgy, because I can stand next to it without a problem."

"Strange, indeed." He was touched by her obvious concern for his well being.

They both stepped closer to the edge and Obi-wan looked to Emmara.

"So we just jump?" He inquired, and she nodded. "I am not sure I am the proper companion for this little escapade, milady. Perhaps I should go grab Anakin…" He mused peeking timidly over the edge of the cliff.

Emmara laughed and pulled on his hand.

"Don't be a baby, Obi." She teased, "Just make sure to jump far enough away from the edge." She instructed, and Obi-wan nodded in understanding. She gave another peek over the edge. "I have done this a million times but before every jump I still feel nervous." She admitted.

"Now who's the baby?" He mimicked her earlier statement with a coy smile. Emmara made a face.

"Still you." She laughed.

Offering her hand to him and with a warm smile suggested, "Want to go together?"

He didn't say a word but grabbed her hand. They stepped closer to the edge. "On three?"

Obi-wan nodded.

"One… Two…" She gave him a brief smile, "Three."

They both jumped.

Emmara closed her eyes and straightened her legs with her arms down as she cut through the water's surface. There was always that moment of panic submerged in the water as she fought her way to the surface, as if she would never make it in time for her next breath. Then there was a moment of relief when she broke through the wall of water to take a deep gulp of air. She laughed aloud, happy to have this connection to her home and to so many wonderful memories. She would always remember the summers spent jumping from the cliffs of Astevelle.

"Again?" For the first time she looked to Obi-wan and she noticed that he was not particularly thrilled. She laughed at the scowl on his face. She had her answer. "Cliff jumping is not your forte is it?" She stated the obvious as they swam towards the cliff's edge. Obi-wan grunted in response.

"I have a feeling Anakin would enjoy this." He told her and Emmara agreed.

Obi-wan lifted himself up onto the rocks and helped Emmara up.

She stood unmoving in the spot before him and tilted her face up to look at him. His chest was bare and she noticed the freckles that sporadically covered his arms and shoulders, as well as the sinewy muscles from vigorous training. She bit the inside of her lip to keep from smiling appreciatively. She refocused her eyes on his, and realized that she had been caught staring.

Without thinking first Emmara launched herself up and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Thank you for being here for me, Obi." She whispered into his hair, "It means the world to me."

Obi-wan sank into her touch, at first slightly uncomfortable at the physical contact.

His mind, heart, and body were constantly at battle when he was in Emmara's presence. His mind was always shouting for him to stay back and keep his distance, that it was against all of his teaching and reminding him that he should have learned his lesson the first time. Yet his heart, as well as his body, fought with his rational mind. He did not want to have to hold back, keep his emotions at bay. It would be so much easier if he could just let it all go, but then his mind argued that if he always succumbed to what was easy he would not be worthy to be a Jedi.

He rapidly untangled himself from her embrace and stepped back.

"I am happy to be here for you, Emmara. We are friends after all." His subtle hint was not lost on her, and she cringed as if she had been slapped in the face. Her shoulders fell but she attempted to smile as if nothing was amiss. She knew that he was a Jedi and forbidden to love, but to hear it aloud and from his lips still stung.

"It is getting late." She told him, still making an effort to keep her words as normal as possible. "I should go make sure that Jade is alright."

He knew immediately that he had hurt her deeply from her tone as she spoke, but he was at a loss for what to do. He knew they needed to talk about the night, and the kiss, but he was slowly recognizing that he might not be able to resist the feelings inside of him.

She turned to walk back toward the beach, but was surprised when Obi-wan's hand gripped her wrist and pulled her back.

"Emmara, wait." He whispered softly, and she turned to face him unable to hide the tears that had formed in her eyes. She was grateful that she still had water dripping from her hair and down her face, maybe he wouldn't notice. "I'm sorry." It was only two words, but they were as heartfelt as an entire speech.

Emmara nodded.

"It's alright. I understand." The words were shaky as they fell from her lips, and she knew that they were hardly sincere.

"No it is inappropriate for me to continue our friendship if…" Emmara shook her head abruptly at his words and she pressed a finger to his lips, begging him to stop before he finished his train of thought.

"No." She spoke softly, her voice choking. "I value your friendship, Obi. I will not let my feelings get in the way of that."

There was silence.

Emmara felt the hot tears against her cheeks and she turned her face away from him.

Her anguish made Obi-wan's heart wrench in his chest. He wanted more than anything to tell her how he felt, at least to let her know that her feelings were reciprocated. He knew that would cause more harm than good, and so he kept silent.

After she had her tears in control she looked up to Obi-wan.

"If things were different," She began with a wavering voice, "If you weren't a Jedi would you feel differently?" She questioned; knowing that his answer, either bad or good, would not be beneficial to how she felt. Yet, she still had to ask.

Obi-wan sighed.

"Things are not different, milady." He said softly, "My answer will only cause unnecessary turmoil."

Her shoulders fell and a fresh onset of tears filled her eyes and she nodded.

"I know." She told him, "But it will be easier for me to hear you tell me that you don't have feelings for me."

Obi-wan's throat tightened when he saw the palpable grief that was written across her face.

As he contemplated Emmara assumed from his silence that her feelings were not reciprocated. She shook her head, shutting her eyes tight trying her damndest to get rid of the tears filling her eyes. She couldn't bear to look at him again so she did what she deemed necessary.

She fled as quickly as she could.

She had swam back to the shoreline without glancing back to see if Obi-wan had followed her. When she hurried to gather her clothes she didn't make it very far when she felt a large hand encircle her arm and pull her back around to face him.

"Please don't try to run away from me." He told her softly as he grabbed both of her arms to keep her from bolting. Emmara couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye she was so embarrassed. She knew her face was burning and she attempted to turn herself away but his hold was too durable.

Obi-wan looked down into the mass of dripping blond strands that were facing him as Emmara attempted to hide from him. He reached down and deftly lifted her chin with his fingers so that her face was visible. His eyes wandered over her face, and he had to admit to himself how lovely she was. To other people's standards she was not strikingly beautiful, but Obi-wan preferred it that way. Her features were soft, and elegant. His favorite feature was her striking eyes. At first glance they appeared to be a simple green, but upon inspection they exploded into a myriad of emerald, gold, and chocolate. They had always captivated him, and until this moment he could never fully understand why. Perhaps he hadn't really wanted to know.

"These feelings are forbidden." Obi-wan told her slowly, and he saw her eyes light up only to dim just as quickly. It was strange that he was telling her these things. He had entered into a forbidden relationship with Siri. Suddenly he felt like a hypocrite. That he did not like. He remembered how things had ended; Siri had been killed and he had been grief stricken. It made him act like an entirely different person. He was afraid of the same thing happening, and perhaps he would be led to follow a path that he did not want to endure.

"I know that." She snapped bitterly, "Why won't you just let me go?"

She struggled against his grasp, but he held her still.

"I have gone down this road, and I am afraid it will turn out as it had before." He admitted to her softly. He caught her gaze and held it. She was surprised. He had never told her this before.

"You have been in a…relationship?" She hesitated, unsure of exactly how to word it.

Obi-wan nodded.

"We had been friends since we were younglings training at the temple." He told her, "We became… more… over the years. She passed away almost a year ago."

He felt Emmara's shoulders drop.

"I am so sorry," She muttered, "If I had known I would have never…"

Emmara fell silent.

"Never what?"

"I would have never kissed you…" Emmara tried to struggle her way out once more, but she was nowhere near as strong as the hands that held her.

"I have already mourned her passing," He told her and Emmara only seemed more frustrated by this admission.

"What does that even mean?" She hissed, "You've forgotten your love for her?"

At first glance he realized he must seem apathetic and cold, and so he shook his head.

"Of course not." He rebutted, "I have only accepted her passing, and have moved forward. I will always love her."

Emmara calmed down with his words, despite his declaration of love for another. It made the whole situation worse for her knowing that Obi-wan had once let himself feel for another woman, but when faced with the opportunity to love Emmara he fought it. It hurt more than she could describe.

A pregnant pause filled the air between them.

Obi-wan was trying to put his thoughts into words as Emmara simply tried to think of a way to escape from the piercing eyes of her captor. She felt like a fool. She wanted to get away so she wouldn't have to face what was bound to happen. He was going to tell her they could never be. Her eyes stung with tears.

Obi-wan said nothing, but pulled her toward him so that his arms circled around her. He pressed his forehead against hers as he peered straight into the depth of her eyes. Her red rimmed eyes were wide in shock, but her body was relaxed against him so he knew she was hardly uncomfortable. Obi-wan brought his hand up to the side of her face, caressing her cheek softly.

She was wholly surprised when she felt Obi-wan pull her up to him so that his lips fell over hers.

Her eyes fluttered closed as she sunk into his embrace. His lips moved over hers softly, tentatively at first.

As she pressed against him she tilted her head back so that she could better open up to his ministrations. Before she could protest he slipped away and pressed his lips across her jaw, before pulling away and rested his forehead against hers so that their eyes were level.

"A relationship with a Jedi is extremely complicated."

His words surprised her further. Was he saying…

"My duty to the order must come first." He told her, praying that his honesty of this decision would not deter her away from him. As afraid as he was of repeating his mistakes, something inside told him that if he didn't do this it would be worse.

It was all so strange. When he had come here he had no intentions of pulling this woman into his arms, and he had no intentions of declaring his true feelings for her. He had completely expected to push the feelings deep into his core, in hopes that they would slowly dissipate but it seemed that was not the case. He hadn't known her as long as he had known Siri, but inside he knew that this was a completely different realm of feelings. His feelings for Siri had felt comfortable, expected even. The feelings he felt with Emmara felt… new. She challenged him in ways that Siri hadn't.

"Obi…" Emmara's soft voice pulled him from his thoughts and he found himself staring into her eyes. She seemed uncertain. "I don't want to jeopardize your position with the order…"

"Everything inside of me is telling me to do this, Emmy." He used his nickname for her with affection, "I am unsure why all of my willpower becomes irrelevant when you are involved, but it does."

Emmara shook her head.

"Don't say that." She pled. "Don't get me wrong this is everything I could ever want, but…"

"Please do not expect me to walk away now. My heart is yours if you will have it." Since when was Obi-wan such a romantic? Emmara couldn't move. His words struck a chord inside of her.

His heart.

She would love nothing more than to take it for her own.

"Why?" It was a simple question, and the only one that came to mind at the moment. Obi-wan smiled softly and pushed a dripping strand of hair away from her face.

"I don't know why, Em." He told her honestly, "When I came here this was the last thing I was expecting to happen. I was ready to push all of these feelings away but now I realize that I can no longer ignore what I feel."

Emmara's throat was unbearably dry. How did he know the perfect things to say?

"How long have you felt this way?" Why was she asking him these awful questions? She demanded in her head. Was she trying to repel him and get him to walk away?

Obi-wan shrugged.

"I have pushed away feelings for you since the first night in the room of a thousand fountains." Emmara thought back to that first night that she and Obi-wan had begun their actual friendship. After the ordeal with Avelle, they had spent hours talking.

Emmara smiled fondly at the memory.

"I knew the moment you saved me from falling face first in the dining hall." They both shared a laugh. "I have never been so embarrassed…" She was unable to finish her train of thought when Obi-wan claimed her lips.

She sighed happily against him. When she was encircled against his chest every fiber inside of her heart felt right. How could this be wrong? She let go of any doubts and allowed herself to sink further into his warm embrace.


End file.
